Chapter 1: American Colonies by 1763 Flashcards
When was the French-Indian war?
1756-1763
What were some long-term causes for the outbreak of the French-Indian war?
Prior resentment between colonists after European conflicts e.g. Austrian war of succession 1740s
Competing claims over Ohio between Br & Fr
French military buildup in Nova Scotia - violated Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle
French support for Acadian independence movements
Mutual distrust among colonists - religious differences
What was the short term cause for the outbreak of the French-Indian war?
Skirmish in Ohio:
1754 - Ohio Company got a grant of 200,000 acres in ohio
French built forts nearby - Fort Duquesne
George Washington sent to stop them - he lost
Britain sent 2,000 troops & general braddock to america - ambushed and routed by a French-Indian troop in 1755
What was the Battle of the Wilderness 1755?
The battle where General Braddock got killed in a French-Indian ambush
When was the battle of Quiberon Bay and what was it?
1759 - Admiral Hawke smashed a french fleet at Quiberon Bay - prevented reinforcements going to Canada
When did Britain take Quebec?
1759
When did Britain take Montreal & susequently all of Canada?
1760
What was the Peace of Paris?
A treaty signed 1763 that ended the French-Indian War
What were the terms of the Peace of Paris?
Britain received Canada and all french posessions east of the mississippi.
Britain took most of France’s Carribbean islands
France ceded Louisiana to Spain
Britain acquired Florida from Spain
What were the results of the Seven Years War?
Britain was the world’s greatest imperial power - controlled most of North America, the Carribbean, and much of India.
War gave training to men that would become leaders in the American army.
Mutual contempt formed between american and british soldiers
Huge amounts of land west of the appalachians was open for settlement
Weakened colonial dependence on the British military
What was the economic situation in Britain by 1763?
Rising population - 7.5m people by 1760
Industrial revolution starting to take place
What was the social situation in Britain by 1763?
British society was heirarchical - rising middle class
What was the political situation in Britain by 1763?
Still a Parliamentary Monarchy
Very small electorate to Parliament - only wealthy could vote
Two major parties - Whigs and Tories (only whigs mattered)
What were some signs of a weak relationship between Britain and the colonies by 1763?
Population of the colonies grew massively
Colonists didn’t think of themselves as Britons
Colonies ran their own affairs
Didn’t like British mercantilism - aware of their own economic strengths
Nothing to fear from France - less militarily dependent
What were some signs of a strong relationship between Britain and the colonies by 1763?
Most Americans loyal to Britain - 25,000 volunteered to go to war in 1756
No desire to attain colonial unity pre-1763
British rule over America was in practice very easy-going, when compared to other colonies.
No colonist predicted separation in 1763
When was the first successful english colony set up?
Virginia in 1607
When were the thirteen colonies actually completed?
1732
What were the three groups of colonies?
New England - New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Conneticut
Middle colonies - New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware
Southern Colonies - Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia
What was the population growth in the colonies 1700-1763?
250,000 to over 2 million
Why did colonial population grow so fast?
High birth rate - Average family had 7 kids
Low death rate - generally prosperous
Immigration
What were the five towns of notable size?
Boston
New York
Newport
Philadelphia
Charleston
Why was there such huge immigration to America?
Generally prosperous
Huge demand for slaves
Europeans could enter temporary servitude in exchange for free passage
How were the colonies mostly run in 1763?
Governors & Colonial assemblies
What were the two different types of colonial governor in 1763?
Proprietary colonies had proprietors to run the colony, they appointed the governor. (Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware)
Corporate colonies had elected governors to run the colony. (Conneticut, Rhode Island)
How were the powers of colonial governors limited in the 1760s?
Could be dismissed by the British
Dependent for revenue on colonial assemblies
How were the colonial assemblies organised in the 1760s?
Upper house chosen by the governor
Lower house elected
Assemblies were responsible for money bills & expenditures, as well as local laws.
How did the British have control over the colonies?
Charters - these tied the colonies directly to the crown rather than to Parliament.
What was the British policy towards the colonies in the early 18th century?
Salutary Neglect - left them to their own devices
Why did the colonial economy see a huge boost 1650-1770?
Expansion of inter-colonial trade
Rapid population increase
Increased trade with britain & the empire
New land available
What was the main economic activity for the colonists?
Farming
What was the main product of each set of colonies?
New England - fish
Middle colonies - Wheat & Flour
Southern colonies - Tobacco
What was Mercantilism?
The belief that the colonies existed purely to serve the economic interests of Britain
What were some examples of British mercantilist policy?
Woolen Act 1699 - forbade export of colonial yarn & cloth outside the state in which it was produced
Hat Act 1732 - Prohibited export of colonial beaver hats
Iron Act 1750 - banned the export of colonial iron outside the Empire
Why did Americans not mind the mercantilist system?
It was badly enforced - smuggling was a fact of life in the colonies
America had a protected market for exports
American shipping profited from the exclusion of foreign ships from colonial trade
Who formed the colonial elite?
Wealthy landowners & merchants - no aristocracy like in Britain
What was American society like in the early 18th century?
Heirarchical like Britain - still had the wealthy elite and poor working class
What was colonial education like in the 1760s?
Good - 75% of colonial white men were literate, compared with 60% in Britain
More than 30 newspapers in circulation
What was colonial religion like in the 1760s?
Church membership high
Americans were generally protestant
What was the Great Awakening?
A wave of religious revivals in the early 18th century - preachers started to draw huge crowds & religion became more prevalent
