October 25: George III: Tyrant or Hero?

2013-10-25On 25 October 1760, George III became the king of Great Britain and Ireland upon the death of King George II.

In many ways, King George III was a flawed ruler. George was educated in Science and Arts, but lacked education necessary to serve as a statesman. Moreover, he was often criticized for appointing many of his incompetent friends to serve as ministers. However, in America, King George III is mostly known for his role in the American Revolution.

Following the French and Indian War, the colonies were fairly prosperous and England acquired a good chunk of land. However, Great Britian aided the colonies heavily in this matter. This aid was very expensive, and keeping English soldiers in North America to protect the newly acquired land exacerbated the expense. In response, King George III implemented heavy taxes and restrictions on the colonies, such as: Sugar Act, Currency Act, the Proclamation of 1763, and the Stamp Act of 1765.This greatly angered the colonist and made them feel that they were not self-governed.

King George III’s “tyranny” triggered the Continental Congress to adopt the Declaration of Independence. On 2 July 1776 the thirteen American colonies declared themselves independent and no longer apart of the British Empire. On July 4, they approved the Declaration of Independence.

Even to this day history books paint King George III in different lights. American history books view George as an evil tyrant, while British texts suggest that he was incompetent, but a hero for his victories over the French. This sparks the question, “is what is true always truthful?”
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–Steven W. Cook

Photo Caption: King George III in Coronation Robes painted by Allan Ramsay (1713–1784).


Meet the Author: Steven W. Cook

I am a Business major attending my first year at Schoolcraft College. However, I eventually plan to transfer to Grand Valley University. In the meantime, I save money from my part-time job; I plan on traveling to Europe one day.

7 Responses

  1. Alex says:

    I found your article interesting Steven however I thought I should add more information as to why the colonist were upset and decided to rebel. Other than putting heavy taxes on the colonist George III would also show acts of aggression by hiring mercenaries and sending them to the colonies. In addition the Boston massacre was significant in many ways. When British soldiers fired upon the crowd of unarmed protestors this made George III’s soldiers look like oppressors and making his image and the situation worse. The British claimed that the colonists were being overly aggressive and that they were merely protecting their soldiers. Again this sparks the question “is what is true always truthful?”

  2. Michael Pietron says:

    It is always interesting to see the different points of view others share when it comes to discussing leaders. King George the third had quite the dispute with the Americans,While what he did was not all okay with the colonists, he did take quite an effective role in trying to progress the British empire. Around the colonies though, he seemed to have more problems than just the colonists. The Spanish, French and natives seemed to be after what he wanted. I always enjoy reading about things like this because it shows how dramatically places, people and territories change for the better, or for the worse. King George III even ended up making a comeback for the war of 1812!

  3. Mary Rabe says:

    Also on this day in history in 473, Emperor Leo I acclaims his grandson Leo II as Caesar of the Byzantine Empire. He was Leo I closest male relative, so after he died in 474 Leo II succeeded him to the throne.

    Leo II reigned for only 10 months before he supposedly died of a mysterious disease. During his reign he managed to make his father, Zeno, a colleague. It is suspected that his mother, Ariadne, might have poisoned him in order to bring Zeno to the throne. Yet another tragic ending for an Emperor.

    Mary Rabe

  4. deanbuck05 says:

    Later on in King Georges life he suffered from recurrent and soon to be permanent mental illness. Doctors were very confused at the sickness. It has since been suggested that he suffered from the blood disease porphyria. After a relapse in 1810, King George died and his son then took over and ruled as Prince Regent.

  5. Chris Duncan says:

    A very small tidbit I found amusing is King Henry wrote extensive diary entries throughout his lifetime, and on July 4, 1776, he wrote “Nothing of importance happened today.”

  6. Abby Vollick says:

    On December 16, 1773 a group of some 200 men got together to take part in what is now known as the Boston Tea Party. In 1767, the Townshend Acts were passed by British Parliament under the rule of King George III. This form of “taxation without representation” angered the colonists and after the monopolizing of the tea importation from the East India Company, the colonists decided that enough was enough and that it was time to act. They decided that the three tea ships which arrived in Boston in December 1773 should return “without payment of any duty.” After receiving a refusal to let the ships leave without payment, the colonists became fed up and took matters into their own hands. The group of 200 men, many of which dressed up as Indians, took over the three ships the evening of December 16 and dumped all of the tea into the surrounding waters. This act of rebellion, along with others among the colonies, angered King George III and caused him to pass the Intolerable Acts in order to punish the colonists.

  7. sadf says:

    this information sucks

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