sparkey
Great Adventurer
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- Ethnic group
- 3/4 Colonial American, 1/8 Cornish, 1/8 Welsh
- Y-DNA haplogroup
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- mtDNA haplogroup
- U4a (Cornish)
The 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War is tomorrow, so let's talk about how we can see a little bit of Europe in the conflict.
One idea that I have seen pop up in various writings regarding the American Civil War is that it was a continuation of a division in British society that dates back to at least the English Civil War, see Dawson, 1978. And perhaps even farther back than that, see:
I have also read several references to the English Civil War as having significant ethnic division, where the Parliamentarians were principally Anglo-Saxon in heritage and identification, whereas the Royalists contained a significant Brythonic strain. Compare this map of the spread of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into Britain with these maps of the sides in the English Civil War. There is a clear similarity between where the Britons were and the Royalists were, as well as a similarity between where the Anglo-Saxons were and the Parliamentarians were.
Finally, there is little doubt that the early British settlement of America had mostly Royalists settling in the South, and mostly Parliamentarians settling in the North. I'll take this as common knowledge, although it would be easy to find sources if anybody doubts it.
So, let's try to formalize this theory briefly, and debate it. Under this theory, there are two British groups who have been divided since the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, and whose division persisted all the way to the American Civil War. Let's call these groups "A" and "B." They are:
A: They were the Anglo-Saxons during the Anglo-Saxon invasion. During the Protestant Reformation, they became Puritans. They were the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. When settling in America, they settled in the North. In the American Civil War, they fought for the Union.
B: They were the Britons during the Anglo-Saxon invasion. During the Protestant Reformation, they became Anglicans. They were the Royalists during the English Civil War. When settling in America, they settled in the South. In the American Civil War, they fought for the Confederacy.
I doubt this theory of continuity will go unchallenged in this forum, so... what do you think? Are there any steps above that are too much of a reach? Or is there some validity to this theory? If so, what kept the division alive?
One idea that I have seen pop up in various writings regarding the American Civil War is that it was a continuation of a division in British society that dates back to at least the English Civil War, see Dawson, 1978. And perhaps even farther back than that, see:
J.M. Hill said:The first United States census in 1790 revealed a well defined ethnic division between the Northern and Southern states. In New England 75 percent of the people were Anglo-Saxons in origin, while Celts outnumbered Anglo-Saxons in the South two to one.
I have also read several references to the English Civil War as having significant ethnic division, where the Parliamentarians were principally Anglo-Saxon in heritage and identification, whereas the Royalists contained a significant Brythonic strain. Compare this map of the spread of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms into Britain with these maps of the sides in the English Civil War. There is a clear similarity between where the Britons were and the Royalists were, as well as a similarity between where the Anglo-Saxons were and the Parliamentarians were.
Finally, there is little doubt that the early British settlement of America had mostly Royalists settling in the South, and mostly Parliamentarians settling in the North. I'll take this as common knowledge, although it would be easy to find sources if anybody doubts it.
So, let's try to formalize this theory briefly, and debate it. Under this theory, there are two British groups who have been divided since the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain, and whose division persisted all the way to the American Civil War. Let's call these groups "A" and "B." They are:
A: They were the Anglo-Saxons during the Anglo-Saxon invasion. During the Protestant Reformation, they became Puritans. They were the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. When settling in America, they settled in the North. In the American Civil War, they fought for the Union.
B: They were the Britons during the Anglo-Saxon invasion. During the Protestant Reformation, they became Anglicans. They were the Royalists during the English Civil War. When settling in America, they settled in the South. In the American Civil War, they fought for the Confederacy.
I doubt this theory of continuity will go unchallenged in this forum, so... what do you think? Are there any steps above that are too much of a reach? Or is there some validity to this theory? If so, what kept the division alive?