Hey US-type Americans, I have a question:
Who were you fighting in 1776?
The British?
The English?
Who?
It’s Not Your Fault You’re Confused
I’ve spend a LOT of this year reading newly-published books and articles, and listening to podcasts and talks around the topic of the American Revolution/War of Independence.
As an immigrant to these shores and a History graduate, it seemed the polite/right thing to do. And it has been fascinating.
AND it’s doing my head in.
Because even modern historians, teaching university classes today, WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER use the terms ‘British’ and ‘English’ interchangeably when talking about 1776 and later.
I have to keep putting books down to scream into a pillow and gnash my teeth.
Because England did not exist as a sovereign nation in 1776 and hadn’t, for 69 years.
George III—usually cast as the villain of the piece, despite the fact that Britain was, by that point a constitutional monarchy and his powers were somewhat constrained—wasn’t even born until 21 years after England ceased to exist. So stop calling him the English king!
Stop Saying That!
US (and English) historians regularly cause me to slam shut books when they casually talk about how life in the British colonies in North America was similar to or different from “English society” or how the fight was against the “English crown”, or complain about the “English parliament”.
Usually the same people will talk about the British colonies, and the British army (the Redcoats) and they might mention the Scots, the Irish and the Welsh, individually.
The inaccuracy drives me crazy.
“Cramming for the Test” Version
On May 1, 1707 Scotland and England (which had annexed Wales about 150 years before) agreed to unite into one country:
Great Britain.
The country that became the USA fought for its independence from Great Britain.
George III was the King of Great Britain (and, separately, Ireland. Also, because apparently countries are like Pringles, he was also the Elector/King of Hanover).
Not England.
Why It Matters
I’m not asking anyone to memorize obscure facts about the political history of every other country in the world. That would be nuts.
But this is not some obscure fact about a country that doesn’t matter to Americans*. This is the country you FOUGHT in order to establish your own country. This is the foundational moment in your country’s history.
(*And yes, I’m using the term ‘Americans’ for US citizens because there is no other generally accepted term, despite the fact that there are other countries on the North American continent who could choose to use that term too, but generally speaking have their own names they tend to use in preference to that one.)
The historians’ casual flipping of the terms creates a whole country of people who don’t know the actual facts. School teachers learn it this way and pass it on to generations of Americans who end up not knowing who they fought for independence from, or that accuracy matters.
And that absence of rigor bothers me because if we don’t have a respect for facts that can absolutely be known, what chance do we have when talking about things that are points of debate?
It’s unconscionable. It’s intellectual abuse. It drives me batty.
And I don’t blame the average American. I blame the academics, who should know better.
Some Excuses, for the regular folk
I also understand that the people fomenting revolution often referred to themselves as ‘Englishmen’, but at this point in history, here in 2026, can we please acknowledge the fact that, since 1707, there had been no “English crown”, “English monarch” or “English parliament”? There was only Great Britain.
Your Extra Credit Study Notes
Yes, it’s confusing that we still talk about English law as the foundation of US law, but English Law is a system that predates the union of the parliaments and the formation of Great Britain. Scotland retained distinct and separate legal (and education) systems after the Treaty of Union.
Yes, it’s confusing that we talk about the different ‘countries’ within Britain and that the geographical and political parts of my home nation have lots of names. Nowadays it is the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and (since 1922) Northern Ireland”. (‘Great’ in the sense of ‘big’. This refers to the big island, plus—unmentioned in the title—most of the smaller islands in what’s known as The British Isles: the bits in the sea around the big island.
We added the “United Kingdom of…” in 1800 when we ‘persuaded’ Ireland to join. That didn’t go well, but, as is sometimes the case, we kept the name after the divorce.)
And yes, it’s even more confusing that our sports teams sometimes play together as GB (a historically familiar if inaccurate abbreviation…Sorry, Northern Ireland and the rest of the British Isles!) and sometimes separate ‘countries’ or ‘nations’ (Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales) though they are not, politically, sovereign nations. (There are just certain sports, like rugby and football, where the historical grudges run too deep and you couldn’t have those supporters going to matches on the same bus…)
It also doesn’t help that many of us talk about parts of the United Kingdom as if we were (already) independent nations, because that’s the reality we’d like to see. It is not, however the reality we live in.
(I do not have a Scottish passport. I have a British Passport.
Fun fact: the text on the inside cover reads, “His Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of His Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary”. Isn’t that bonkers?!)
I am a citizen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I also consider myself Scottish, but that’s a cultural thing not a sovereignty thing. (Yet). I also consider(ed) myself a European because I grew up in that golden era when the UK took being part of the European Union seriously and when I and my fellow Brits had freedom to work and travel and trade with the other members of the Union. Sigh.
Why This Shouldn’t Be So Hard
The United Kingdom shouldn’t be a hard concept to grasp for people who live in the United States of America. They even SOUND alike.
If the US doesn’t have a “President of Florida”, Britain doesn’t have have a “King of England”.
(Whether or not kings should exist in the 21st century is a subject for a whole other rant. Also up for grabs: Is it time to revisit the Treaty of Union, Scotland?)
Anyway, this has been your friendly neighborhood immigrant from Britain, reminding you who the real enemy was…