causes of the american revolution

Question 1

what were the benefits of America being successful in the 7 years war (2)

Answer 1

no longer faced threat from French Canada

they could now exploit the vast territories acquired in N. America from France

Question 2

what were the negative outcomes of the new empirial control over the extended N. American empire (4)

Answer 2

defence was now a major concern (native american attacks)

government had to provide for 80,000 french canadians

western policy was needed to sort out land policy, fur trade and native american relationship

the 7 years war made it apparent of the smuggling

Question 3

give 2 main aims of George Grenville as PM

Answer 3

reduce spending on military

increase taxation

Question 4

when did Grenville become PM

Answer 4

april 1763

Question 5

summarise Pontiac’s rebellion and the significance of it

Answer 5

May 1763

Ohio Valley Native American tribes captured British forts, short lived success, British used bribes to decrease numbers of N. Americans, fighting continued but no real threat, highlighted that Americans relied on British for security

Question 6

when was the Pontiac’s rebellion

Answer 6

may 1763

Question 7

summarise the 1763 proclamation

Answer 7

declared the boundary of white settlement and ran across the Appalachian mountains, used as a temporary method to minimise white-Native American conflict, it angered the frontiersmen and the settlers

Question 8

why did the 1763 proclamation line fail

Answer 8

unrealistic
hard to enforce
30,000 american settlers ignored the restriction and moved west in the 5 years after 1763

Question 9

when did the 1763 proclamation line officially breakdown

Answer 9

1768

Question 10

give 2 ways that the Grenville intended to reduce smuggling

Answer 10

colonial customs officials had to live in America not Britain

cases transferred from colonial courts to vice admiralty courts in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Question 11

summarise the 1764 sugar act

Answer 11

reduced tax from 6d to 3d on mollases imported from non-British Caribbean islands, the tax yeilded only £21,000 to £78,000 per year, no British MPs opposed but many Americans did

Question 12

when was the 1764 sugar act imposed

Answer 12

5th April 1764

Question 13

why were the Americans opposed 1764 sugar act (4 Points)

Answer 13

lack of representation in parliament/ lack of American voice

John Wilkes (radical MP) demanded freedom of the press, accused the ministers of being tools of corruption

showed a poor relationship between Britain and America, such as the standing army in N.America when it was not needed

examples of propaganda ‘The rights of the British colonies asserted and proved’ showed that there american resistance and the refusal of taxation on americans without consent

Question 14

summarise the currency act 1764

Answer 14

placed a ban on colonial paper money as the British merchants preferred to use British sterling

Question 15

summarise the stamp act 1765

Answer 15

february 1765

implemented stamp duties onto products such as newspapers, legal documents to playing cards, the new duty would raise £60,000 in the first year

Question 16

why did British MP believe in the implementation of the stamp act

Answer 16

believed that they have the right to tax the colonies and that the Americans should contribute to somewhat of their own defence

Question 17

how did the Americans react to the Stamp Act 1765 (3 points)

Answer 17

it applied nationally compared to the sugar act which only affected New England

it antagonised the most influential groups such as the lawyers, printers and tavern keepers

they believed they should not be taxed as they were not represented in parliament

Question 18

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (Virginia resolves)

Answer 18

May 1765
Patrick Henry (lawyer) introduced resolutions in the Virginia House of Burgesses for attacking the stamp act

resolutions included colonists possessing the rights of Englishmen and that Americans could only be taxed if they had representation

Question 19

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (stamp act congress)

Answer 19

June 1765 Massachusetts assembly suggested that an inter-colonial meeting be held in order to draft a set of resolutions of the stamp act

delegates from 9 colonies attended (27 congressman)

Question 20

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (ideological debate)

Answer 20

congressmen believed there should be direct American representation and that there should be no taxation if there is none

the only way to raise money is through assemblies

the idea that the stamp act was a way to control American liberties

Question 21

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (popular protest)

Answer 21

there was a lot of crowd action

popular militancy was increasing

examples- Loyal Nine in Boston leader was Samuel Adams

Question 22

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (mob action)

Answer 22

fake models of Oliver (stamp distributor) and Bute were hung from the liberty tree, fake stamps were handed out and mocked, Oliver ordered the model to be took down but the crowd refused and then mobbed his house

many rich Bostonians feared that popular resentment at the stamp act had turned into an attack

Question 23

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (sons of liberty)

Answer 23

autumn 1765- a group of men directing the mob action, group included merchants, artisans and intellictuals and ensured that political consciousness was kept high

Question 24

why could it be seen that the sons of liberty’s influence was exaggerated

Answer 24

far from united

limited influence in the southern colonies

only an urban movement not a rural one and towns people made up 5%

Question 25

how did the American colonies react to the stamp act (economic sanctions)

Answer 25

the sons of liberty appealed people to not buy British goods

October 1765 leading merchants in New York refused to import goods from Britain until the Stamp Act was repealed

boycott spread across the country

Question 26

give 2 reasons for not repealing the stamp act

Answer 26

British MPs were horrified by the mob violence by repealing the act it could be seen as an act of weakness

the argument that America didn’t have representation was not valid as many places in Britain did not such as certain towns

Question 27

give 2 reasons for repealing the stamp act

Answer 27

British merchants wanted to repeal the act as they were alarmed by the colonial boycott

Rockingham was informed by Gage that it could not be enforced without a great military force

Question 28

summarise the declaratory act

Answer 28

claimed that the colonies were subordinate to the British crown and parliament, parliament had the full authority to make laws in the colonies

Question 29

summarise the townshed crisis

Answer 29

Townshed (chancellor of the Exchequer) introduced new duties in 1767 on glass, wine, china, lead and paint

the tax would be intended to pay for the salaries of governors and judges so they weren’t dependent on the colonies

Question 30

why did parliament believe the American people would be alright would with passing the act

Answer 30

these were external taxes and not internal taxes like the stamp act

Question 31

summarise mutiny act 1765

Answer 31

colonial assemblies had to provide accomadation for British troops when needed

Question 32

summarise the new york restraining act 1767

Answer 32

their assemblies could not take legislative action until they agreed with the mutiny act 1765

Question 33

why did New York had to accept the New York restraining act 1767

Answer 33

they had little support from the other colonies so they were forced to

Question 34

what was the reactions to the Townshend’s policies (intellectual)

Answer 34

John Dickinson wrote the Letters of a Pennsylvania Farmer (1768) and it was printed in most colonial newspapers

he argued that parliament did not have the right to tax the Americans as they did not consent

Question 35

what was the reactions to the Townshend’s policies (political response)

Answer 35

February 1768 the Massachusetts assembly sent out a circular letter denouncing the Townshends duties for violating the American liberities and urged other colonies for common action

it was mainly the work of Samuel Adams and James Otis

7 colonial assemblies quickly approved of the letter and House of Burgesses also joined

Question 36

what was the reactions to the Townshend’s policies (economic resistance)

Answer 36

1768 Boston led the way to organising a new economic boycott, many merchants opposed non-importation so the boycott was not completely successfully

by 1769 every colony except New Hampshire had organisations pledged to boycott British goods

merchants who refused would be attacked and warehouses burnt

non-importation put economic pressure on Britain and also went back to the aspects of simple lives of Americans without the British luxury

Question 37

what was the reactions to the Townshend’s policies (unrest in Boston)

Answer 37

commissions in the American Board of Customs Commissioners in Boston were always in wrath, they couldn’t stop the problem of smuggling

they asked help from the Royal Navy and in June 1768 the battleship ‘Romney’ sailed into the harbour and the navy seized the boat ‘Liberty’ which belonged to Hancock (leading American opposition to British)

the navy sailors from the Romney took the Liberty and took it into the harbour, but a mob started a fight with the commissioners and the commissioners had to take refuge in Castle William and Sons of Liberty were in control of Boston

Question 38

what was the reactions to the Townshend’s policies (Wilkesite movement)

Answer 38

1768- John Wilkes was arrested and fined, 30,000 people protested outside the prison in London for his release, led to 20 wounded and 6 killed, heavily addressed in the newspaper and this news arrived in America and showed that Britain suppressed both America and Britain on liberties

Question 39

what events led to the Boston Massacre (2 points)

Answer 39

Earl of Hillsborough ordered Governor Bernard to demand the Massachusetts assembly to withdraw the circular letter they has sent to the other colonies, they refused and the assembly was dissolved and this led to further anger

Sons of Liberty organised marches, revolutionaries armies in Boston attacking British troops and organised meetings

Question 40

flow chart of events of the Boston massacre

Answer 40

22nd Feb 1770 a suspected customs informer killed an 11 year old boy during a riot, the funeral got turned into a political demonstration 5000 Bostonians attended

2nd March 1770- workers at a rope factory attacked some soldiers seeking jobs

5th March 1770- a detachment of British soldiers guarding hte custom house was attacked by a mob hurling snowballs, the troop opened fire and 5 were killed, Sam Adam’s believed it was a massacre, the funerals became a political demonstration

2/6 soldiers arrested for manslaughter but then pardoned