1780s Flashcards
What was the population of Britain in 1780?
8.7 million
What was the average work week in 1780?
59 hours
Name four significant pieces of legislation passed in the 1780s
1782 - Repeal of the 1746 Highland Dress Act, 1784 East India Act, 1788 Chimney Sweepers Act, and the 1788 Slave Trade Act
What did the 1788 Slave Trade Act do?
Regulated how many people could be shipped by tonnage in British slave ships
What did the 1784 East India Act do?
Asserted ultimate authority of the government of Britain in India and created Board of Control
Who took power in 1770?
Lord North, Tories
Who took power on July 1, 1782, then died four days later?
The Marquess of Rockingham, Whigs
Who was the second prime minister of 1782?
The Earl of Shelburne, Whigs
Who took power in April, 1783?
The Duke of Portland, Whigs (though real power was wielded by Fox-North Coalition)
Who was the second Prime Minister of 1783?
William Pitt the younger, Tory
When did the Gordon Riots occur?
1780
What were the Gordon Riots?
Five-day anti-Catholic riots, the most destructive in the history of London
How did the Gordon riots end?
Troops were called out, killing close to 300 people, with some led by John Wilkes
What happened in 1781?
The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown
What was the significance of Cornwallis’ surrender?
End of fighting in the American War of Independence
What happened in 1783?
Britain recognized the US in the Treaty of Paris
What happened in 1784?
Henry Cort patented iron puddling; the first mail coach ran from Bristol to London
What happened in 1787?
The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was founded; the “First Fleet” of convicts headed to Australia; Sierra Leone was established; James Watt invented the governor
What happened in France in 1788?
Louis XVI called the Estates General for the first time since 1614
What happened in 1789?
Washington was elected President; Bentham published “Principles”; Olaudah Equiano published his autobiography; the French Revolution; the mutiny on the Bounty
What significant events int he French Revolution occurred in 1789?
The Tennis Court Oath and the storming of the Bastille
