(Second) British Empire- Journal Entries

DAY 1:

Marking the first day of my project research, I made a plan on how I was going to accomplish my project.

PLAN:

1. Basic History of the British Empire (Finish by May 6^th)

Journal Entries (1-3)

Source AnnotationS

2. Timeline (Finish by May 9th)

Journal Entries (4-5)

Map

Source Annotations

Artifacts

3. Leader Profile (May 12^th)

Captain Cook (James Cook)

4. Preparation for Presentation (17^th)

Prezi?

5. Rehearse (18^th)

6. Present (20^th)

DAY 2:

Today I researched on slavery in the British Empire. I found this topic quite relevant to one of our essential questions: How did the empire interact with other civilizations?

Slaves were transported to England from various countries the British Empire concurred, however out of all the slaves most of them were sent from African countries. Representing a major source of wealth, many citizens of England bought slaves from the investors that transported the slaves. That resulted the unbalance in economy, since those who owned slaves made less money than the investors in those who transported Africans to enslavement. In 1772, Lord Mansfield’s judgment in a slavery case freed a slave, which marked the beginning of the abolishment of slavery. Then in 1833, the abolishment of slavery finally passed. However, many people went against the regulation and continuously owned slaves. And finally, in 1838 700,000 slaves that were transported from the West Indies, 40,00 transported from South Africa, and 20,000 sent from Mauritius were finally liberated. Lastly, slavery in the British Empire resulted more than 3million deaths.

DAY 3:

Today I began my research on Captain James Cook for the leader profile. Through an hour of research I was able to discover many legacies he left behind, and I was also able to find out many interesting events during James Cook’s lifetime. The most famous events are the 3voyages of James Cook.

COOK’S FIRST GREAT VOYAGE

Due to the great success in charting Newfoundland, Cook was promoted once again. He was sent to Tahiti (aka the Pacific) to watch the planet Venus, with a secret envelope he was told to open after recording the transit of Venus. After successfully recording the transit of Venus, he opened the enveloped with the envelope. The note read: FIND THE GREAT SOUTHERN CONTINENT or prove that it does not exist. Then, Cook turned his ship and headed towards New Zealand. After proving New Zealand was not part of the Southern Continent, he set sail for Australia. However, Cook later found out that a Dutch explorer Abel Tasman had already discovered the land in 1642. But after coming into realization no European ever discovered the Eastern coast of Australia, Cook charted 3200km of the Eastern region in 4months.

COOK’S SECOND GREAT VOYAGE

Cook was sent to solve the riddle of how to calculate the longitude of the Earth, so he set sail Southwards. However, due to too much loss of men he halted at Cape town, South Africa, Furneax. In November 2 ships were sent in search of the continent. And finally in January Cook was the first man ever to cross the Antarctic Circle.

COOK’S THIRD GREAT VOYAGE

When Cook and his men were sailing across the Pacific, after the sailing from Oregon to Alaska, they sighted a chain of islands. In need of repair, they sailed to Owhyee (today’s Hawaii). At first, the Hawaiians thought Cook was Orono (God of abundance), however disappointed in Cook and his men’s avarice, the Hawaiians killed all of them. In 1779 February 14^th, Cook died in the age of 50.

DAY 4:

WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES LED TO THE END OF THE EMPIRE?

Towards the end of the 18^th century the British Empire faced many challenges, however World War II is considered the major reason the empire fell. After the victory in WWII the British empire faced an insolvency and began suffering an extreme financial crisis. Due to financial failure, the empire could not afford money for the armies and the countries the British ruled in the South East Asian regions were all taken by Japan. Many other African countries also started a rebellion. The rebellion of the Indians severely impacted the empire’s economy and after the Hong Kong handover ceremony with the People’s Republic of China, the year of 1997 is considered the end of the British EMPIRE.

DAY 5:

FINAL REFLECTION

Having once taken over more than ¼ of the world and 20% of the population, the British Empire has been my MAJOR interest. Because I was born under an Asian family, I was always very familiar with the Korean empire, the dynasties of China, and the Mongolian Empire. However I was eager to understand more about Western Empires, which resulted my decision on the British empire.

The discovery of Newfoundland in 1583, marked the beginning of the British Empire. During the First British Empire, the British took over many lands. However, due to the breakout of the American Independence War Britain faced the loss of 13colonies, and the second British Empire rose.

Due to the great loss of land, the Empire had to search for an alternative. In 1770, an accomplished mapmaker James Cook was sent to Tahiti (aka the Pacific) to FIND THE GREAT SOUTHERN CONTINENT. Cook headed towards New Zealand. After proving New Zealand was not part of the Southern Continent, he set sail for Australia. Cook later found out that a Dutch explorer Willem Jansz had already discovered the land in 1606. But after coming into realization no European ever discovered the Eastern coast of Australia, Cook charted 3200km of the Eastern region in 4months. During the period, Cook also discovered the Great Barrier Reef by running into it.

The abolition of slavery was another major event. In 1807, due to the continuous pressure of the abolition of slaves, the British government enacted the Slave Trade Act in the empire. However, the British continuously owned slaves for 26yrs. And finally, in 1833 the regulation on the abolishment of slavery finally passed. In 1838, 700,000 slaves from the West Indies, 40,000 from South Africa and 20,000 from Mauritius were finally liberated. However, slavery in the British Empire resulted the death of more than 3million slaves.

So what caused the fall of this prominent empire? The main cause was WWII (1939~1945). Following Britain’s victory, the empire faced an extreme financial crisis, and the countries Britain ruled in the South East Asian region were mostly occupied by Japan. After the Hong Kong handover ceremony with the People’s Republic of China, the year of 1997 is considered the end of the British EMPIRE.