Even before I swapped the UK for the United States, I was vaguely aware of an apparent American propensity for all things British. It was no secret that Americans adored the Royal family almost as much (if not more) as the British; that British music – led by a little-known ’60s rock ‘n’ roll quartet from Liverpool – was, and is, wildly popular; and that a certain book charting the alternative education of a bespectacled wizard boy continues to be read by millions of pre-teens, teens and, well, everyone.
What I didn’t know was that American Anglophilia was even more widespread; contemporary British television shows such as Dr. Who, Downton Abbey, and Sherlock have garnered a sizable following stateside, while older shows – such as Fawlty Towers, Pride and Prejudice (TV series), and Keeping Up Appearances – are also mentioned with fondness in the USA.
Moreover, British films, though released less frequently over here than back home, have nonetheless faired well at the American box office, with The King’s Speech, Shaun Of The Dead, and Love, Actually performing well over the last 10 years. Indeed, British actors and actresses, such as Benedict Cumberbatch, David Tennant, Colin Firth, Simon Pegg, Kate Winslet, Kiera Knightly, and Dame Judi Dench are deeply respected by American movie buffs.
Then, having looked more closely, I came to realise that even British food and drink items had made their way across The Pond. Select Cadbury’s products can be found in most major grocery stores, while Newcastle Brown Ale, Pimm’s, and various forms of tea are not always incredibly hard to come by either. In the case of Newcastle Brown, in fact, this is routinely accessible in the many British-style pubs, which generally count fish ‘n’ chips, shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash among their menu items.
Moreover, since launching my blog in February, 2013, I have come to estimate, based on interactions with my readers, that there are perhaps millions of Americans who have themselves visited various towns, cities and regions of Britain that yours truly has not even driven through.
And so, as pro-British sentiment appears higher in the United States than ever before, I thought I would ask the following question: why are there so many American Anglophiles?
After all, as recently as the early 20th century, Americans still resented the British following centuries of regional disputes and conflicts. The Revolutionary War, which resulted in America’s independence from the British, lasted a grueling eight years, while the War of 1812 – fought, in part, over trade restrictions brought on by Britain’s war with France – carried on for almost 3 years. Between these wars, and even during the American Civil War (when the British flirted with the idea of sympathizing with the U.S. Confederates), the two did not see eye-to-eye.
Despite tensions in the early history of Anglo-American relations, however, it must be remembered that much of modern day American culture derives from the very settlers who moved to the New World from England in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of their descendents, Noah Webster – the man responsible for standardizing American English with his dictionary – insisted that Americans must speak English because of its connections to great literature. Over time, this medium would contribute significantly to America’s eventual pro-British stance.
Ironically, it was another war – World War I – that would set the foundations for what Churchill would later call the “special relationship” between the two nations. Following the defeat of the Germans in 1918, American president Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George (along with France’s Georges Clemenceau) came together at the Paris Peace Conference to decide Germany’s fate, as well as the future of Europe. This meeting brought about the creation of the League of Nations – an intergovernmental organization whose primary mission was to prevent any such world conflict from arising in the future.
However, in the 1930s, with Germany, Spain, Italy and Japan withdrawing from it, the league’s failure was becoming apparent; the outbreak of World War II in Europe only served to confirm it. As with World War I, the Americans allied with the British, this time in a battle of attrition against Hitler’s Germany and the rest of the Axis Powers. Following the defeat of Germany on May 8, 1945 and Japan on August 15 of the same year, trade between the United States and Great Britain accelerated.
This, of course, lent itself not just to food produce and raw materials, but to art, music and literature. The post-war works of the likes of George Orwell, Dylan Thomas and William Golding became popular in the United States, helping to spread the British vernacular and outlook across the Pond. From Shakespeare to J.K. Rowling, this trick has certainly been repeated many times throughout history, with American fascination in the British way of life growing with every scene or chapter.
And as the 20th century went on, the British continued to invade (pun intended) America through other mediums; in 1953, interest in the Royal family grew exponentially, as Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne. Meanwhile, starting a tradition that is still alive today, British music artists like The Beatles, the Stones and The Kinks took the United States by storm, opening the door for later acts such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Elton John, George Michael, The Police, Coldplay, Leona Lewis, Adele and, well, hundreds of others.
Despite their earlier differences, the passage of time has brought with it a sense of mutual respect between the two countries. The shared language – itself split in half by the Atlantic – is something both parties can relate to. For their part, Americans – I get the sense – enjoy hearing words like rubbish, mate and aluminium because that is the language theirs is derived from. Indeed, their appreciation of the monarchy seems to come from a similar place; much of their population descended from British settlers who had left a country under the rule of King James I, not to mention his many successors. Moreover, Americans commonly tell me that, in a romanticized world, they would prefer a monarchy over the congressional politics of present day Washington (it would be interesting to see if these sentiments have increased since the recent shutdown of government).
In all, the stars appear to have aligned. Two imperial forces came together largely because of the unfolding of history and the mutual benefits of a post-war world. Americans, still searching for some sort of palpable identity, continue to look up to Britain (though won’t always admit it) as one would an older sibling – one who is perceived as wise, experienced, and more eloquent, but whose otherwise many flaws are all too often overlooked.
May we overlook them a little longer.
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia is now our full-time jobs and we spend our time working on the site and planning our yearly trips to Britain. In 2014, we founded 
Great article as well as an explanation, for this Anglophile at least…and since I married and Englishman, does this mean I’m in love with an ‘older sibling’ ?
For many, I think it’s a recognition of cultural heritage. People come to recognise that treasured stories from childhood (Arthur & Merlin, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, etc…) were not only written in various British locales, but were written when many Americans’ forebears were still living in Britain. It then becomes obvious that many things which are valued around Britain as cultural heritage are also the birthright of many people born in the U.S. For Scots such as myself, it’s a useful reminder that “A Scot is a Scot even unto a hundred generations” (Jamesie Johnston) Or if you prefer a more literary source of the same sentiment:
“The mark of a Scot of all classes [is that] he … remembers and cherishes the memory of his forebears, good or bad; and there burns alive in him a sense of identity with the dead even to the twentieth generation.”
-Robert Louis Stevenson
I think that cultural “memory”, reinforced by the still massive cultural influence of England, is the reason I am an Anglophile. My ancestors came from England to Virginia, hundreds of years ago. The words “I reckon” were used frequently in my family, and the first time I heard people using the phrase on a BBC show, I realized how many linguistic and cultural themes we still have in common. Just as in England of the 1600-1700’s- American Southerners almost always married “their own kind”- and so all my forebears were English/Welsh- when I see a BBC “costume” drama, the long, pale, jowly faces are the faces of my family, and myself- LOL! When I went to England, I felt “at home” -is that due to the common language, the common culture, years of BBC, or the fact that most of the people around me looked like relatives?- I think a combination of all of these..
My great-grandfather was from Oxford, so I just assume it’s in the genes. It has been an internal pull since I was a little girl–w/vague notions, and then first consciousness of it fully awakened by Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave in CAMELOT. Spent 3 weeks in the UK late 2011 and thought that might “cure” the longing. Nah. Now it is more intense than ever. Then there is also always the idea of reincarnation…. Whatever. It’s just in my very marrow, and I’m not gonna ever be “cured.” Fine with me.
Six weeks study abroad in 2004 convinced me I wanted to move to the UK ASAP. Still trying to get all my ducks in a row to make that happen. At least I can get Jammy Dodgers, Hob Nobs, and Cadbury Drinking Chocolate (especially the drinking chocolate!) at a local supermarket.
Just about all of my ancestors came here from England almost 400 years ago, including John Alden and Priscilla Mullins from the Mayflower. As AJ mentioned, like married like. I’ve felt connected to the motherland all my life; I feel at home when I visit England. My preferred climate is cold, gray and wet. I think one contributor to the love of England is that most of us have never experienced the issues that compelled our ancestors to leave home. We have no reason not to love all things British.
I just think it’s all fantastic. I don’t really have a draw to it from ancestors. I love the climate, the villages, the food, the sports, the pub atmosphere, and I follow the Royal Family like other people in the US follow celebrities, it’s like a living history. Maybe it’s that I love history and the UK has more, I love Royal, Medieval, and Renaissance History, which the US is lacking, and it was easier to learn about those periods in the UK as opposed to Europe because of the common language.
While i was born and raised in the US, My wife and I have come to love the British culture. You have sort of answered your own question in your comments. Compare TV from the UK with the US. You write things like Dr who, Downtown Abbey while the US writes Honey BooBoo and Big Brother. A season of your TV shows is at least 8-12 episodes here a season has been reduced to 6 episodes to be repeated until your until to brain bleeds. It is all about how little people can do to make the most money…
Love Actually “performing well”? That is a huge understatement, but Love Actually is more like a cultural phenomenon.
I left the UK in 1975 to get away from the Socialist muck up and to hopefully give my young children a chance to grow up in a civilized society. I remember saying to my wife at the time that we could have 50 years without the socialists in America. It’s been 36 years.. Now where can I go???
Running away from things you don’t like is never the answer long term, the only way to ever change a thing is to commit to getting right inside it & sticking with it until you change it, rather than moaning about it or aiting for someone else to make life better for you.
Of course the same thing applies Stateside, though the problem, like the country, is only made more difficult to change because of the size of it.
Just looking to start a new life.. I have been doing so much research and I’ve fell in love with a lot of shows on BBC and PBS.. I’ve been lucky enough to take classes On-line at Oxford.. I just loved them. But the big kick in the head I got is went both parents died and my whole family turned on me for doing my best to be the caregiver for both parents.. even my child has turned on me. They all felt the same. It’s an American this I guess. I was suppose to stop my life and take care of them. Seeing and reading about England has just hit a soft spot with me Well even watching Top Gear has got to me. :). It is a beautiful country and looks like I could find a place I would fit in there. The culture and the traditions that are still held so dearly to Britain are so wonderful.. It would be a wonderful wait to start over and become a part of such a beautiful way of life. I know there is nothing in the US that would stop me from making a new start.. That’s if you poor people would want to let another American in.. 🙂 Oh and I would bring my husband too. Hehehe
Also, a lot of Americans wish they were English. Our government is in the crapper, the education system keeps getting worse because the government keep cutting it out of the budget.
If things go well for me, I would not only visit, but live in England. My grandfathers were British, so that may be why it tugs on my heart strings. I spell words with ‘u’, as do my children. Many a time have they called out a teacher about the proper spelling of a word! We have our tea time together in the afternoon, we love cricket and rugby and pay attention to everything the Royal family does. I know more about the elections and government in Britain than I do in the US! Oh, and as for the telly, we do favour British telly over American any day!
DNA memory, like salmon swimming upstream to spawn……we cherish our roots & many of us can trace them to England. Once we get there we are overwhelmed by the architecture the long history of knights & kings & queens & when we are passing through the green countryside we are reminded of the wonderful fairy tales we grew up on as children. What’s not to like? oh I forgot those dreaded stairs & long walks in the tube stations!
I really got into British music when I was in high school during the 1980s, listening to the likes of Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, ABC, and other New Wave bands. Since I was into fashion, I would get my inspiration from London, looking at UK fashion magazines like Arena, that I could buy from Tower Records. Eventually, I started watching tons of UK TV shows like Coronation Street on my local PBS station. And so basically that is how I became an Anglophile. A funny story as a kid, I remember as an elementary school student looking up at the Hawai’i state flag while at Iolani Palace, and thinking that HI was part of the UK since the Union Jack is on the upper left of the flag and that Hawai’i has a history of royalty.
I think Woodsong above is on to something when he mentions the profound Scots cultural memory. Many of us with English roots also have Scottish roots as well. Perhaps this helps us remember and appreciate our heritage generally. Like AJ, many of my English ancestors came to Virginia, some as early as 1630. Thus, Tudor history and everything before that is my history too and we were British subjects for another 150 yrs. We Americans and the Brits and the Canadians and the Australians and New Zealanders are truly cousins. I go to Britain and I look like them and despite the loud brash American stereotype, I am similar. I go to France and the meals go on too long and I miss a proper breakfast. I go to Italy and see how white I really am. Also-our shared Anglo culture is much deeper and subtle than pop cultural icons and specific food items. How we spend out money, marry off our children, pass down our inheritance are all similar (just heard a podcast to this effect).
I really dont know why it happened, but it did. And it started with music. One day getting ready for work I heard a song on the radio. . It was mumford and sons. I wrote the name on a magazine. After work I Googled them and then I was lost forever. Lost forever in Britain. All of the music I started listening to was from the UK, Johnny Flynn, Ben Howard, King Charles, Bear’s Den and alot of the music coming out of Communion Record label (Ben Howard from M&S started this label) My bucket list contains musicians from England and I’ve already seen the most import one. I just cant stop. By the way I stood in line 8.5 hours to get up front at a Mumord and Sons Concert!! Now its British movies, Downton Abbey, and the beautiful countryside and architecture. Often I look for flat or estates for sale or dreaming of a pub crawl somewhere in England!! How luck I am that we just hired a part time employee from Oxford!! I am so glad I find Anglotpia!! Theres so much to learn. Dreaming of going to England someday!!
I identify with the UK because that is where all my roots are, one set of great-grandparens immigrated in the late 1800’s, and I still have family there. I grew up with knowledge of my ancestry and eating many of the foods — Welsh Rarebit comes to mind and I was raised up on tea and toast,not that tea/toast makes your English! When I visited the UK a few years ago, I didn’t fe
el the least bit out of place and I didn’t receive any disparaging remarks from anybody about me being an “ugly American”.
Well, I agree with everything that’s already been said. Must be the British charm. 🙂