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Y8 History Week beginning 08/06/20 The Act of Union Please spend ONE HOUR on each lesson this week.

Lesson One:

1. Read the text on the Act of Union. Why do you think that and wanted to unite in the ? 2. Use the second reading to explain why England wanted a union with Scotland. 3. Read through the terms of the Act of Union and answer the questions. There is a ‘modern’ version of the text at the end of this document, but try to complete it using the primary source first. 4. Read through the third reading and identify as many reasons as possible why the English and the Scots wanted the Union. 5. Use the next reading to list the factors that strengthened and weakened the union. 6. Write a summary paragraph that explains why the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and joined together in 1707. 7. Save or print your work.

Task 1

On 28th July, 1707, during the reign of Queen Anne, this flag was by royal proclamation made the National flag of Great .

The Act of Union of 1707, joined England and Scotland together, creating a single kingdom with a single called ' of '. England, Wales and Scotland were now united together under one monarch and one parliament. Think back to the work that we’ve done over the previous lessons. Why do you think that England and Scotland wanted to unite at the start of the 18th century ()?

Task 2

By 1700 England, Scotland and Wales were linked at various levels. In the 16th century, Henry VIII brought Wales completely under the control of England. As a result, laws in Wales were now the same as in England; the official language of Wales and its government became English; and Wales was represented in the English Parliament at . England and Scotland had also drawn closer together after they both became Protestant countries in the sixteenth century. In 1603 the crowns of the two countries had been united (King James I). Early in the 18th century, English politicians feared that if Queen Anne died without an agreed heir, Scotland might offer the Scottish crown to her Catholic half-brother (James Stuart, the son of James II). The English and Welsh government had already agreed that should go to the great- grandson of King James I, George.

George was the Elector (ruler) of Hanover, a small country in what is now Germany. The Hanoverians, as George’s family became known, were the nearest Protestants in the line of succession. Had Catholics been allowed to become the monarch, George would have been 56th in line to the throne!

In order to prevent Scotland having a separate monarch to England again, the two countries tried to reach a political agreement. In 1707 Acts of Union were passed by the of England and Scotland, forming the United . These Acts abolished the and transferred the Scottish representatives to Westminster. Most importantly, they also ensured that Scotland, England, Wales and all shared a monarch.

In your own words, explain why England wanted a union with Scotland:

Task 3

The Articles of Union with Scotland (first three pages are pictured below) were agreed on 22 July 1706. They were then approved by the Scottish Parliament on 28 January 1707. The English Parliament made them into law the following , and the England and Scotland became the United Kingdom in May 1707.

If you like a challenge, read through the original text of the document (below) and answer the questions. Try working with the primary source first! If this is too difficult, however, I’ve included a ‘modern’ translation at the end of this document:

I. That the two Kingdoms of England and Scotland shall upon the first day of May and for ever after be United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain. And that the Ensigns (flags) of the said United Kingdom be such as her Majesty shall appoint. And the Crosses of St. George and St. Andrew be Conjoined in such manner as her Majesty shall think fit, and used in all Flags, , Standards and Ensigne both at Sea and Land.

II. That the Succession to the of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and of the Dominions belonging to her Majesty be remain and continue to the most Excellent Princess Sophia Electoress and Duchess Dowager of Hannover and the Heirs of her body being Protestants upon whom the Crown of England is Settled by An (Intitled An Act for the further Limitation of the Crown and better securing the Rights and Liberties of the Subject) And that all Papists and Persons Marrying Papists shall be Excluded from and for ever Incapable to Inherit, Possess or Enjoy the Imperial Crown of Great Britain and the Dominions.

III. That the United Kingdom of Great Britain be Represented by one and the same Parliament to be Styled (called) the Parliament of Great Britain.

IV. That all the Subjects of the United Kingdom of Great Britain shall from and after the Union have full Freedom and Intercourse of Trade and Navigation to and from any Port or Place within the new United Kingdom; And that there be a Communication of all other Rights, Privileges and Advantages which do or may belong to the Subjects of either Kingdom. What does Article 1 create?

What does Article 2 guarantee?

What do Articles 3 and 4 suggest was a reason why both countries wanted the union?

Look closely at the first page of the Act of Union. What flowers are drawn at the bottom? How are they linked and why is this significant?

Which nation is missing from the first Union Flag and is not mentioned in the first Act of Union? Why do you think this is?

Task 4

Read through the article below, and make a list of other reasons why the English wanted the Union, and why the Scots wanted the Union.

(Adapted from ‘The Act of Union’ by Ben Johnson, written for historic-uk.com)

Uniting the kingdoms of Scotland and England had been proposed for a hundred years before it actually happened in 1707.

Suspicion and mistrust between the two countries had prevented the union throughout the 17th century. The Scots feared that they would simply become another region of England, being swallowed up as had happened to Wales some four hundred years earlier. For England the fear that the Scots may take sides with France and rekindle the ‘’ was decisive. England relied heavily on Scottish soldiers and to have them turn and join ranks with the French would have been disastrous.

In the late however, thousands of Scottish folk had been tempted to invest their hard earned money in a plan to link the two great oceans of the world by establishing an overland trading route between the Pacific and Atlantic. Almost every Scot who had £5 in his or her pocket invested in the Darien Scheme, a plan to establish a Scottish colony in in Central America.

Poorly planned, the venture ended early in 1700 with significant loss of life and financial ruin for the . Almost all of the settlers were killed by disease or the Spanish army, who also wanted to colonise Panama. Everything was lost.

With many influential individuals and whole families left bankrupt by the disaster, a few financial incentives appear to have convinced some dithering Scottish MPs of the potential benefits of a union with England. In the words of Burns, they (the Scottish MPs) were “bought and sold for English gold”.

In a poorly attended Scottish Parliament the MPs voted to agree the Union and on 16 January 1707 the Act of Union was signed. The Act came into effect on May 1st 1707; the Scottish Parliament and the English Parliament united to form the Parliament of Great Britain, based in the , , the home of the English Parliament.

Scotland kept its with respect to its legal and religious systems, but coinage, taxation, sovereignty, trade, parliament and flag became one. The red cross of St. George combined with the blue cross of St. Andrew resulting in the ‘old’ union flag. This is popularly called the Union , although strictly speaking, this only applies when it is flown on a warship.

Task 5

Adapted from the National Archives:

Despite the political ties that had been established, differences between England, Scotland and Wales remained strong. Scottish society kept its distinctive characteristics. Scottish attitudes to the union were mixed, and many in England viewed the Scots with mistrust due to the threat posed by the Jacobites (those who wanted to restore James II to the throne).

Although England's relations with Wales were less tense, the remained the main language spoken in Wales, apart from in the border areas and certain towns.

From the middle of the 18th century powerful forces began to create a sense that a nation had come into being. The building of well-maintained and safe roads called turnpikes, as well as new canals, made it easier to exchange news, goods and services than ever before. Trade had been boosted by the Union in 1707 as the English didn’t have to pay taxes (called ‘customs’) to sell to the Scots, and vice versa. The growth of Britain’s and overseas trade provided Scots with opportunities to build careers and fortunes. They could also take part alongside English and Welsh colleagues in something that was seen as a British adventure.

All of these activities were played out against the background of a century of wars against France, in which the were conscious of being a Protestant island nation in combat with a Catholic enemy. The threat of a French invasion launched from Ireland, coupled with the , led to the Act of Union of 1800, which created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Based on the reading, make a list the factors that STRENGTHENED the union and the factors that WEAKENED the union.

MODERN TRANSLATION

I. On the 1st May, England and Scotland should be united into one Kingdom called Great Britain. The Queen will choose the flag, but it has to combine the English flag and the Scottish flag (the crosses of St George (England) and St Andrew (Scotland)). This will be used as the United Kingdom’s flag on both land and sea. II. The heir to the throne is Princess , the granddaughter of King James I. If she cannot come to the throne, her family will take over the throne in her place as long as they are Protestants. Any Catholic, or anyone married to a Catholic, shall never become ruler of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. III. The United Kingdom will have one Parliament, and it will be called the Parliament of Great Britain. IV. Any British subject shall be free to trade with any other port or place ruled by the United Kingdom. Every British subject shall have the same rights and privileges as each other, regardless of whether they come from England or Scotland.

Lesson Two:

1. Read about the Act of Union 1800, with Ireland. Then answer the questions on the reading in full sentences. 2. Fill in the blank, summarising the creation of the Union Flag. 3. Finally, read the two interpretation of the Act of Union and then judge which you think is the more convincing.

Task 1

Act of Union, 1800

Adapted from BBC History:

Anger within Scotland towards the Treaty of 1707 was soon made worse by delays in honouring financial rewards. Growing resentment about the running of Scotland led to an effort by Scottish politicians at Westminster to end the Treaty.

The Jacobites, who wanted the bring James II and his successors back to the throne, benefitted from this increased anger at the government in London. The Jacobites launched two serious challenges to the Union in 1715 and 1745. However, with the defeat of in1745-46, British national identity was promoted heavily in Scotland. Being ‘British’ rather than Scottish was a way for Scots to prove their loyalty and patriotism, but a common desire for liberty and also helped with this. The massive expansion in trade, and the wealth this brought into both England and Scotland, also helped with this process.

There had long been a connection with between the Scots and the Irish, particularly the wealthy landowners in Ulster (). Many thought it was unfair that Ireland did not also have free access to the opportunities that Scots had to trade with the .

Many Scots and English believed there should be a full legal union between Britain and Ireland. This idea gained popularity after the (1765-1783), when it was worried that increased Irish unhappiness might end up threatening England.

During the ( and 90s), Ireland was seen as the ‘back door’ to invasion of England from France. After a rebel group known as the United Irishmen had tried to encourage a French invasion in 1798, the British state quickly moved from being oppressive rulers clamping down on the Irish to offering them the chance to join Great Britain. Henry Dundas, a dominant Scottish politician, argued the case for with Ireland, based on the advantages that Scotland had enjoyed since 1707. The (second) Act of Union that was duly negotiated between Britain and Ireland in 1800. The Act again kept Parliament in London, but made adjustments to accommodate the needs of the Irish.

For some, the Union was a great success. However, many Irish were disadvantaged in comparison with other Britons because they were Catholic. The Union also created some early economic problems as Ireland adjusted to the new rules.

For the Irish, union lasted just over a century. A catastrophic famine in the 1840s led to death on a vast scale, and many people fled the country to make a new life elsewhere, particularly in America. Aan estimated 1/3rd of the Irish population either died or left Ireland in a short space of time. This damaged Ireland’s ability to industrialise, leaving it poorer than other parts of the UK. The religious division led to sectarianism (religious fighting) which led to many Irish Catholics wanting to leave Britain, and many Protestants (particularly in the North) determined to remain British.

An Irish independence rebellion known as the of 1916 was easily crushed, but many argue that the British government’s violent response was a massive over-reaction. This paved the way for civil war and the separation of all but six of the 32 Irish counties from Britain by 1922. Only Northern Ireland has remained part of the United Kingdom, but the legacy of hatred between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland led to a period of violence known as the Troubles, which only ended in 1998.

1. Why were Scots initially unhappy with the Act of Union?

2. When did Ireland unite with England and Scotland (Britain)?

3. Why did Ireland and Britain unite?

4. Was the Act of Union 1800 successful for the British and Irish? Explain why or why not.

Task 2

Fill in the blanks (with no word bank!)

The formation of the Union Flag (also known as the ______) came about as the result of the progressive merging of the inhabitants of the under one throne.

1603 - King James VI of ______inherited the English throne and became King ______of England.

1707 - during the reign of ______, the first Union Flag was by royal proclamation made the National , for use ashore and afloat.

1801 – ______was united with Great Britain and the present Union Flag was formed.

Task 3

Read the two interpretations of the Act of Union and its consequences. Decide which is more convincing (accurate and persuasive).

Interpretation One:

The final days of Scotland as an independent country in 1707 were nothing short of pitiful. The passing by the Scottish and English Parliaments – no-one ever asked the Welsh and Irish – of the Act of Union was, and will forever remain, a shameful blot on the proud history of this country. In the immortal words of Robert Burns, we really were bought and sold for English gold by a parcel of rogues whose high-flown titles in no way disguised the gutter baseness of their actions.

No matter what the pro-Union historians and apologists say, it is an undeniable fact that most of those who voted an independent Scotland out of existence in 1707 – against the wishes of the vast majority of Scots – were rewarded for doing so, with some of them reaping very rich rewards indeed. They earned for their votes the equivalent of many millions of pounds sterling in today’s money.

Hamish MacPherson (Journalist) 2017

Interpretation Two:

The golden age of Empire bestowed its opportunities and achievements on a resourceful and well-educated people. For around two centuries or so, Britain appeared to give the Scots the security, stability, and prosperity that had proved so elusive in the seventeenth century. More than this, it allowed some (not all) Scots to imagine themselves as part of something larger than themselves and their weather- beaten corner of the globe: that great mission to bring the light of the Gospel, the polish of civility, and the shine of economic, educational, and cultural betterment to the savage and the heathen. And who was more qualified to undertake this task than a once-backward nation, now at the forefront of improvement, urbanization, and industrialization?

Laura A.M. Stewart (Historian) 2014

In your own words, summarise the arguments made in both interpretations.

What are the differences between the two interpretations?

Which one do you think is more convincing and why? Explain. Try to use evidence from our last two lessons in your answer.