Chapter 4-The Empire in Transition Flashcards
Robert Walpole
The first of the modern prime ministers who had power over the king. Deliberately refrained from strict enforcement of the Navigation Acts, believing that relaxed trading
Restrictions would stimulate commerce.
Albany Plan
The colonies did not really get along, but one time, they faced a threat from the French and their Indian allies. Americans (especially Benjamin Franklin) came together and devised the Albany Plan, which were the first steps toward a democracy in America. It said that each colony would still have its own rights, but there would be another government that would handle certain issues that pertained to the entire country. There would also be an elected group of officials. Colonists did not approve the plan
Iroquois Confederacy
The five Indian nations (Mohawk, Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, and Oneida) that had formed a defensive alliance in the fifteenth century—had been the most powerful tribal presence in the Northeast. Avoided too close a relationship with either group. Played the French and the English against each other.
Ohio River Valley
area of conflict among these many groups (French, Dutch Iroquois, English, Etc.). The French claimed it. Several tribes lived there. English settlement was expanding into it. And the Iroquois were trying to establish a presence there as traders. With so many competing groups jostling for influence, the Ohio Valley quickly became a potential battleground. Also the site of a lot of important occurrences in the French Indian War-the American portion of the seven years war
William Pitt
English Secretary of State and future prime minister. Brought the war in America fully under British control
Impressment
After bringing the war in America under British control, Pitt then started to come up with military strategies. Impressment was one such strategy; British commanders would forcibly enlist colonists.
Peace of Paris of 1763
English essentially won the war. The peace of Paris was the treaty where the French ceded to Great Britain some of their West Indian islands and most of their colonies in India. They also transferred Canada and all other French territory east of the Mississippi, except New Orleans, to Great Britain. They ceded New Orleans and their claims west of the Mississippi to Spain, thus surrendering all title to the mainland of North America.
George Greenville
responsible for a lot of problems in the colonies. King made him prime minister. Imposed a new system of control over Americans
Proclamation Line of 1763
Proclamation from England that forbids Settlers from advancing past a certain line along the Appalachian Mountains. It allowed London to control the westward movement of white settlers. Might limit conflict with tribes due to this control. Some tribes supported this and saw it as the best option available to them to stop white encroachment. However, it was almost completely ineffective
Sugar Act of 1764
designed to eliminate the illegal sugar trade. Enforced the duty on sugar and established new vice admiralty courts in America to put smugglers on trial
Paxton Boys
band of people from western Pennsylvania known as the Paxton Boys demanded Philadelphia for relief from colonial
taxes and for money to help them defend themselves against Indians; the colonial government helped them to avoid war
Regulators
farmers of the Carolina upcountry who organized in opposition to the high taxes that local sheriff s collected. The western counties were badly underrepresented in the colonial assembly, and the Regulators were not able to address their issues. Finally, they armed themselves and resisted by force. This caused a small civil. Afterwards, 9 regulators were hanged.
Stamp Act of 1765
imposed a tax on most printed documents in the colonies: newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, deeds, wills, and licenses. Antagonized and unified the colonies more than Greenville would have thought. It affected everyone, so everyone was mad. The actual stamps weren’t extremely expensive, but it set a precedent of using taxes solely to raise money for their own gain without the consent of the colonies
Stamp Act Congress
people were generally extremely upset about the stamp act, so some powerful speakers emerged pushing for the idea of no taxation without American governmental representation. This congress petitioned the English government as well.
Sons of LIberty
crowds of people against the stamp act that boycotted stamps
Declaratory Act
The stamp act was revoked and America was thrilled. They barely noticed this other act that was passed giving Britain total power over any decision in all cases ever.
Mutiny/Quartering Act
required the colonists to provide quarters and supplies for the British troops in America.
Americans had nothing against providing quarters for British troops, but they were very against the fact that these provisions were now mandated
“Internal” v. “external” taxes
essentially unreasonable v reasonable taxes. The stamp act was internal. Taxes on bread, tea, etc. were reasonable
Mass. circular letter
letter that stated colonies were now not okay with any form of taxation from parliament-internal or external
Boston Massacre
Towns head (the prime minister who had been enforcing all of these taxes died and his replacement stopped the course of all of his bad plans. But before colonists even heard of this change, something happened. The British government put troops in Boston because things had been getting out of hand over there. British soldiers killed 5 Bostonians. It was probably the result of confusion and panic on behalf of the British soldiers, but people rallying resistance painted it as a brutal act of British oppression. John Locke-many people used Locke’s philosophical ideas to support ideas of the revolution
John Locke
many people used Locke’s philosophical ideas to support ideas of the revolution
“Virtual” representation
British people miles and miles away represented “Virtual” representation-Americans; they didn’t want this virtual representation, they wanted an actual representation where they elected officials for their own region to govern
Gaspe incident
Example of the American upset. They sunk this British ship (Gaspe and the British reaction irritated them. The British put the colonists on trial in British courts, instead of colonial courts. Task.
Tea Act
gave the East India Company the right to export its merchandise directly to the colonies
without paying any of the navigation taxes that were imposed on the colonial merchants, it enabled the company to avoid all taxes, which angered and reignited the revolutionary fervor. Led to a large tea boycott
Coercive/Intolerable Acts
When the Bostonians refused to pay for the property they
had destroyed, George III and Lord North decided on a policy of coercion, only for Massachusetts after the whole Boston Tea Party incident of dumping tea into the river. Parliament closed the port of Boston, drastically reduced colonial self-government, permitted royal officers to be tried in other colonies or in England when accused of crimes, and provided for the quartering of troops in the colonists’ barns and empty houses.
First Continental Congress
Delegates from all 13 colonies convened and made decisions. 1. They rejected a plan for union under the British government. 2. Endorsed a statement of grievances 3. Agreed to prepare troops for defense 4. Agreed to nonimportation,nonimportation, and no consumption as means of stopping all trade with Great Britain 5. They agreed to meet again the next spring, thus indicating that they considered the Continental Congress a continuing organization.
Conciliatory Propositions
parliament tried to be “reasonable” saying that the colonists could tax themselves at parliament’s demand, but this didn’t fly with Americans.
