18th Century British HistoryBy: Mikaela Davis

RestorationThe Restoration refers to the restoration

of the monarchy of Charles II to the throne of England.

Prior to restoration was an eleven-year Commonwealth period during which the country was governed by Parliament under the direction of the Puritan General Oliver Cromwell.

Restoration coincides with (and to some extent is responsible for) changes in the literary, scientific, and cultural life of Britain.

1701- The War of Spanish Succession

Britain, Portugal, and the Netherlands sided with the Holy Roman Empire against Spain and France.

France and Spain lost the conflict in 1714. Due to their victory, Britain expanded their territorial

possessions. From France, Britain gained Newfoundland and AcadiaFrom Spain, Gibraltar and Minorca. Gibraltar became a

critical naval base and allowed Britain to control the Atlantic entry and exit point to the Mediterranean.

1707-Treaty of UnionMay 1st, 1707 was one of the first steps

toward uniting the Kingdom of Great Britain.On this day, Scotland and England approved

the Acts of Union that combined the two parliaments and the two royal titles.

Uniting Britain and Scotland was a key policy of Queen Anne during the time period.

The Acts of Union received royal assent in 1707, uniting the separate Parliaments and crowns of England and Scotland and forming the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Jacobite Risings (1688-1746) The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings, rebellions, and

wars in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. The uprisings were aimed at returning James VII of Scotland, and

later his descendants of the House of Stuart, to the throne after he was deposed by Parliament during the Glorious Revolution.

James VII was deposed in 1688 and the thrones were claimed by his daughter Mary II jointly with her husband.

After the House of Hanover succeeded to the throne in 1714, the risings continued, and intensified.

They continued until the last Rebellion in 1745. They were soundly defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. This ended any realistic hope of a Stuart restoration.

1756- The Seven Years’ War

The Seven Years' War was waged on a global scale, fought in Europe, India, North America, the Caribbean, the Philippines and coastal Africa.

War in Europe began in 1756 with the French siege of British Minorca in the Mediterranean, and Frederick the Great of Prussia's invasion of Saxony on the continent.

The major development to come out of the Seven Years' War was that concessions made in the 1763 Treaty of Paris ended France's position as a major colonial power in the Americas.

France lost most of its possessions on the mainland of North America, in addition to some West Indian islands.

Great Britain strengthened its territories in India and North America, confirming its status as the dominant colonial power.

Conflict With the Colonies In the 1760s and 1770s,

relations between the thirteen American colonies and Britain became increasingly strained.

This was primarily due to resentment of the British Parliament's heavy taxation of American colonists without their consent.

American colonists demanded "no taxation without representation" but Britain refused.

Conflict with the Colonies (cont.)

Disagreement resulted in violence and in 1775 the Revolutionary War began.

The following year, the colonists issued the Declaration of Independence from Britain.

America received economic and military aid from France, and eventually won the war in 1783.

The Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War and was signed on September 3, 1783.

Shift of Focus After losing the colonies in America, British focus shifted from

territory in America to Asia, the Pacific, and Africa. British trade began to grow, and the British focused more on

trade and less on territorial possessions. The British East India Company was established to trade with

nations for goods and supplies. However, company interests turned from trade to territory

during the 18th century . British defeated the French and their Indian allies, which left the

British East India Company in control of Bengal, and a major military and political power in India.

In the following decades it gradually increased the size of the territories under its control.

Timeline of Major Events 1714 Accession of George I. 1715 Whigs win the British General Election, 1727 Accession of George II. 1746 Final Jacobite rising crushed at Battle of Culloden. 1760 Accession of George III. 1763 Britain is victorious in the Seven Years' War. The Treaty of

Paris grants Britain vast new territories around the globe 1765 The Stamp Act passed by parliament of Great Britain 1775 Revolutionary War begins in the Thirteen Colonies 1783 British recognition of American independence as Treaty

of Paris is signed by David Hartley representing George III.

Poem: “Sound and Sense”True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those

move easiest who have learned to dance. 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense, The sound must seem an echo to the sense: Soft is the strain when Zephyr gently blows, And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar; When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, The line too labors, and the words move slow; Not so, when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. Hear how Timotheus' varied lays surprise, And bid alternate passions fall and rise! Alexander Pope

TPCASTT Title- I think that the title sound and sense means that the poem is going

to explain something that does not make sense.  Paraphrase-It is easier to write using art, not chance,/It is easiest to

move when you know how to dance./No harsh words will cause offense,/The sound of the poem must reflect the meaning./When Zephyr gently blows the words should be soft,/And a poem about a smooth stream should gently flow;/When waves are crashing against the shore,/The verse should be rough to echo the loud sound;/When Ajax is straining to throw a boulder,/The verse should be labored and slow;/But not when Camilla quickly goes through the field,/Flying over the corn and rivers./Look how Timotheus varies surprise/And his sound will go up and down.

Connotation- The diction in this poem is very formal and old-fashioned. It is obvious from the word choice that this is a pretty old poem, nothing contemporary. The language also contains a lot of allusions including Zephyr, Ajax, Camilla. The language of this poem also includes several images and metaphors.

TPCASTT (cont.) Attitude- The speaker’s attitude is calm and serene. The speaker is

describing how a poem should be written and how it should sound, so they are very peaceful while describing the ideal poem.

Shift-The first four lines are general statements from the speaker, but at line five, the speaker begins to give specific examples of sound and sense.

Title Revisited- the title “Sound and Sense” is referring to the way that a poem sounds and the meaning and theme of a poem. The author discusses how important these two components are in poetry.

Theme- the theme of “sound and sense” is that the way that a poem sounds must be used to contribute to the meaning of a poem. Basically, the way a poem sounds needs to mirror the message that the poem is sending.

Poem’s ConnectionOne of the major unifying principles of art and

literature in the 18th century was nature. This poem relies heavily on nature metaphors and imagery from nature.

Towards the end of the 18th century, poetry began to move away from the strict ideals and put a new emphasis on sentiment and the feelings of the poet. This is seen in “Sound and Sense” because the poet is not following any strict form or style, and is instead urging other poets to be free in their writing and write with emotion.