Page 7 - Great Elizabethans

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth visited the countries of the new Commonwealth many times. As Queen, it was her job to help the transition from Empire to independence and try to keep friendly ties between Britain and the nations it had once governed.
Many people from Commonwealth countries, like Barbados and Jamaica, came to Britain to work and to make new homes. This wasn’t always easy – they were sometimes made to feel very unwelcome, even though they had been asked to come, and faced racism and abuse. In 1965, the campaigner Paul Stephenson (page 30) fought successfully to get the first law passed that said Britons of all skin colours must be treated equally. Now, the writer Malorie Blackman’s (page 46) gripping Noughts and Crosses books show readers all over the world how racism continues to affect people’s lives, both in Britain and elsewhere.
As Queen Elizabeth’s reign went on, people all over the country were creating, inventing and doing amazing things. Scientists like Stephen Hawking (page 34) made discoveries that allowed us to understand the universe better. The music that people liked listening to changed over and over again, from Beatlemania in the 1960s (page 36) to rock like Queen’s in the 1970s (page 40), to grime like Stormzy’s in the 2010s (page 58). Activists like Malala Yousafzai (page 60) fought for women’s rights around the world, so that all women can vote in government elections or have access to education. LGBT+ people campaigned for an end to hatred and discrimination, to try and make sure that people should never be ashamed or be treated cruelly because of how they feel, in the way Alan Turing (page 16) experienced.
And through the work of many talented scientists and environmentalists, we began to understand much more about the dangers of climate change caused by global warming. Like the environmentalists David Attenborough (page 24) and Chris Packham (page 44), Queen Elizabeth cares strongly about the Earth and the natural world, and understands the work we all have to do to protect the planet in the future.
During the 70 years of her reign, Queen Elizabeth has seen technology move from the very first days of television to smart computers you can carry in the palm of your hand – to do everything from
buying food to talking to people all around the world! She has lived through wars, losses, fantastic
sporting events like the 2012 Olympic Games and serious challenges like the COVID-19
pandemic that began in 2020. She has been Queen in a time when Britain and the rest of the world have changed, and kept on changing – and she has had to change too. But she has worked hard throughout her life to do her
best for Britain and the Commonwealth, and all the amazing Britons who have helped shape the country we know today.
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