Dr. Patrick Allitt, Cahoon Family Professor of American History, recently authored a piece for the Emory News Center reflecting on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September. At Emory Allitt teaches courses on American intellectual, environmental, and religious history, on Victorian Britain, and on the Great Books. He was born and raised in Britain. Read an excerpt from the piece below along with the full article: “Reflecting on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II.”
I was born and raised in Britain so I’ve been hearing about the queen since early childhood. When I was five, at school for the first time, my class followed her route on a big map of North America as she traveled across Canada on an official visit. We were told that the queen was good, and that she headed the British Empire, which was also good. That was 1961.
Patrick Allitt, “Reflecting on the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II,” Emory News Center, September 8, 2022.
Now I teach American history to American students. Nothing about America surprised me more when I first came here, in the 1970s, than discovering the American love affair with the British monarchy. After all, the United States fought a revolutionary war to get away from Britain; the second half of the Declaration of Independence is a detailed denunciation of King George III.