▁H . ▁Par s ons ▁argued ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 4 , ▁" there ▁were ▁several ▁British ▁emp ires ▁that ▁ended ▁at ▁different ▁times ▁and ▁for ▁different ▁reasons ". ▁He ▁focused ▁on ▁the ▁Second . ▁ ▁Ash ley ▁Jackson ▁argued ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 3 ▁that ▁histor ians ▁have ▁even ▁extended ▁to ▁a ▁third ▁and ▁fourth ▁emp ire : ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁Empire ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century , ▁and ▁based ▁on ▁the ▁migration ▁of ▁large ▁numbers ▁of ▁sett lers ▁to ▁the ▁American ▁colon ies , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁the ▁sugar ▁plant ation ▁colon ies ▁in ▁the ▁West ▁Ind ies . ▁It ▁ended ▁with ▁the ▁British ▁loss ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁War ▁for ▁Independ ence . ▁The ▁second ▁Empire ▁had ▁already ▁started ▁to ▁emer ge . ▁It ▁was ▁originally ▁designed ▁as ▁a ▁chain ▁of ▁trad ing ▁ports ▁and ▁naval ▁bases . ▁However , ▁it ▁expanded ▁in land ▁into ▁the ▁control ▁of ▁large ▁numbers ▁of ▁n atives ▁when ▁the ▁East ▁India ▁Company ▁proved ▁highly ▁successful ▁in ▁taking ▁control ▁of ▁most ▁of ▁India . ▁India ▁became ▁the ▁ke yst one ▁of ▁the ▁Second ▁Empire , ▁along ▁with ▁colon ies ▁later ▁developed ▁across ▁Africa . ▁A ▁few ▁new ▁sett ler ▁colon ies ▁were ▁also ▁built ▁up ▁in ▁Australia ▁and ▁New ▁Zealand , ▁and ▁to ▁a ▁less er ▁extent ▁in ▁South ▁Africa . ▁Marshall ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 9 ▁shows ▁the ▁cons ensus ▁of ▁sch ol ars ▁is ▁clear , ▁for ▁since ▁ 1 9 0 0 ▁the