The British American Analysis

Assignment 2: Reading for Structure and Argumentation

In the article titled ‘The British American’, J. Williams T. Youngs, describe the life of William Byrd to explore the definition of American identity during colonial period. In this article, the author attempts to answer the question of how American of British ancestry identify themselves and what place they view as their ‘motherland’. The author argues that the colonialist in 17th and 18th century, such as William Byrd, lived in two worlds where “the love of American soil and and loyalty to England were part of single fabric of patriotism”. Youngs used various passage from Byrd’s journal, his attempt to establish himself as Londoner and his respectable time in Virginia to show how he was rooted into the New World while looking at the Old World to find his own identity.
One piece of evidence Youngs used in this article is Byrd’s multiple journeys between Europe and America since his early childhood. Byrd was sent to England for
According to Young, the house built with “formal garden with gravel paths, gates, fruit trees, cedars and hedges and rooms crowded with English furniture, ornaments, books, and portraits” are proofs of his desire to live an English life. While the house was modeled like an English house, it sat on the hillside of Virginia near the Virginia river. The scene from his home was uniquely American. Youngs argues that it reflects Byrd’s desire to live in American environment, but at the same time, to live like an Englishman.
Overall, Youngs portrays William Byrd as a victim of colonialism, who struggled with his identity in both the New and Old World. Youngs argues that William Byrd’s description would have been incomprehensible in 1776, during the Revolutionary War, as the love of both America and England were irremovable part of his