Chapters 9 to 11 Flashcards
How did the British colonists in America feel about their Metropole in the mid 1700s
- In 1763, Great Britain officially won the Seven Years’ War (also known as the French and Indian War). This was a great source of pride for the 1.5 million inhabitants of the 13 American colonies.
- The American colonists were part of the most powerful empire in the world, they liked their monarch (George III) and they wanted to follow British trends.
- But Great Britain would still fail when it tried to fully integrate the American colonies within its empire.
What was Britain’s economic position after the seven-year war and main parties involved
-From the British standpoint, the victory over France was very costly. George III (king), George Grenville (the prime minister) and the members Parliament knew that the Britons were already overtaxed and they could not possibly squeeze more money out of British taxpayers.
what was the solution to the British being poor for the authorities after seven-year war
-Hence, the British authorities concluded that the colonists had to pay a share of the debt (it added up to approximately 146 million sterling pounds or $240 million US to the British debt).
what. caused the change of opinion of American colonists on their country
The American colonists had enjoyed a great degree of freedom for more than 150 years by 1763 and they would not accept to see their freedom being threatened.
-Salutary neglect by the British authorities had allowed the American Colonists a lot of freedom to develop their own institutions and their own commercial activities during the 17th and early 18th century (Salutary neglect means that Britain’s neglect of the colonies had allowed them to develop on their own in comparison to Spain and France who tended to control their colonies more strictly).
-The English authorities controlled their colonies of the Americas much less tightly than France and Spain.
The lax leadership of the British between the founding of Virginia in 1607 and the end of the Seven Years` War in 1763 had led the American colonists to enjoy an enviable degree of autonomy.
-Losing this freedom would not be acceptable for the American colonists even if they were proud citizens of the British Empire
First measure from the government which triggered distrust from the American colonists
- George III also decided to impose the unpopular Proclamation of 1763. It stipulated that the colonists could not settle west of the Appalachians and that the Red Coats would stay in the colonies because the king, George III, wanted a peaceful hiatus to bring back stability to North America.
- The main goal of this proclamation was to temporarily separate the colonists and the natives to prevent more violence (the British were already dealing with Pontiac’s Rebellion. Pontiac, the Chief of the Ottawas, wanted to drive the British out of the Great Lakes Region).
was the Proclamation of 1763 the only regulation from British
-The British authorities continued to impose controversial regulations that frustrated the American colonists.
worst act according to the American colonist
- The worst was the Stamp Act of 1765. A royal stamp was required for documents such as wills, cards, newspapers, almanacs… (This law has been called the “stupidest piece of legislation ever passed” because it angered journalists, lawyers, gamblers…).
- The American colonists argued that taxes imposed by the parliament were illegal because they were not represented by the members of parliament “No taxation without representation”.
explain the concept of virtual representation
-The British believed in virtual representation. They argued that the members of parliament represented the interests of all the subjects of George III.
Act that effected taxes
-The British even gave themselves the power to officially impose taxes and laws on the American colonies with the Declaratory Act of 1766.
how did the Americans FEEL to all of these new acts (not continetal congress)
- On the other hand, the colonists did not feel like rebels. The true outlaws were the British from their standpoint.
- The American colonists were so angry that they attacked British officials in the colonies such as governors and revenue agents.
- The British did not get revenues from the colonies; they got disorder instead.
did the British press on at full speed after the stamp act
- The firestorm temporarily subsided when parliament rescinded the controversial Stamp Act in 1766.
- The British Parliament still wanted to tax the American colonists but the damage was done. The American colonists no longer trusted the British authorities.
how were both parties left after the residing of the stamp act
- The British authorities simply believed that the colonists did not want to pay taxes.
- But the problem was that the American colonists felt like they were the victims of a tyrannical plot to deprive them of their rights (not their money. Many wealthy southern planters felt like parliament wanted to make them as powerless as their own slaves).
what replaced the stamp act
-The British resumed their efforts to obtain revenues from the American colonies by imposing duties on common goods such as glass, paper, paint and tea. These taxes were part of the Townshend Duty Act of 1767 (named after Charles Townshend, the British Prime Minister).
how did the Americans react to the Townshend Duty Act
-The American colonists replied by boycotting all the British products. this tactic lasted about three years until another event fanned the flame of revolution…
non-legislation event that fanned the flame of revolution in America
- The tension was exacerbated by the Boston Massacre (1770). The trigger-happy Red Coats fired on protesters and killed five Bostonians including Crispus Attucks, the first martyr of the American Revolution.
- The acquittal of the Red Coats who had been accused of murder added even more fuel to the fire.
- Many Bostonians were sickened by what they considered an injustice.
Reaction to the Boston massacre
- The British repealed all taxes except the one on tea to fix this monumental gaffe of the Red Coats.
- The American colonists avoided that tax by buying tea from Dutch merchants even if it was more expensive than British tea.
- In December 1773, the British lowered the tax on tea to discourage this practice.
- The colonists were still frustrated in spite of the tax reduction.
- The Boston Tea Party protested by breaking into a vessel of the British East India Company and jettisoning 342 cases of tea (they dressed as natives, they received help from the British crewmembers, it took them 3 hours, the modern value of the tea would be $1 Million and Benjamin Franklin offered to pay it back).
-The possibility of a war between Great Britain and its American colonies was starting to look like a possibility: “The internal revolution and the destruction of the empire began when the people of Massachusetts decided to resist rather than pay for the tea. People in other colonies rallied to them” (Countryman, 1985, p. 106).
British shut-the-fuck-up-and-calm-down act
- The British replied by imposing the Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts.
- They closed the port of Boston and banned town meetings
British act applying to us in here and reaction from American citizens
- Parliament also imposed the unpopular Quebec Act that added the Great Lakes Region to Quebec and guaranteed free practise of Catholicism in that vast territory.
- This was unacceptable for the English-speaking Protestants of the American colonies (especially those who were hoping to go settle in the Great Lakes Region).
after all of these acts, what did the colonies do?
-In 1774, representatives from the 13 colonies (except Georgia) met in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. The war with Great Britain was imminent.
how does american revolution figure in history of political tervolutions
- The American Revolution is the most successful political revolution and one of the most influential events in the history of the world.
- It was not followed by an intense of wave of persecution (unlike the revolutions in France, Russia and China), it allowed the creation of the first large Republic since the 1st Century B. C. and this Republic still exists today more than 200 years later.
- Moreover, the American Revolution proved that free people could govern themselves without a monarch
intolerable acts
cohesive acts + Quebec act
was the american revoltion an impilsive caotic revoltution
-The American revolutionaries did not want anarchy. It was a revolution based on law and order. They used legal arguments to justify their rebellion.
when / how hostilities began amr
- The hostilities began in April, 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.
- The Red Coats wanted to arrest John Hancock and Sam Adams. They also wanted to seize the arsenal of the American rebels.
- Their mission was a failure thanks to Paul Revere’s effort to warn these towns that the Red Coats were leaving Boston.
what did paul revere allow the Americans to organize
- The British were surprised by Minutemen who killed or wounded more than 200 Red Coats (8 Minutemen had been killed in Lexington).
- The myth of British invincibility was dead and Massachusetts was declared to be in a state of rebellion by British authorities
how did political attempts to quell the beginning of the war fair (2nd continental congress)
- This led to a second meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
- The most moderate Congressmen tried to reach out to George III with the Olive Branch Petition.
- Their king refused to protect them from the tyrannical British parliament because of the rebellious acts already committed in the colonies and he ignore the petition.
official begin war
- This [olive branch petition tuned down] meant war. The Patriots (i.e. the Americans) had to form an army (Continental Army).
- They also had to find someone to lead it. The colonies did not have a single general in 1776.
- The Congressmen picked Colonel George Washington mainly because he was a Virginian, and Virginia was the most populated colony.
first MAJOR confrontation amr war
- The first major confrontation was the Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston.
- The Red Coats where able to take control of Boston but they were stunned by the strength of the Continental Army.
- This was the deadliest battle of the American Revolution (1,000 Red Coats died. The Americans lost 400 soldiers).
- The Continental Army was able to quickly regain control over Boston by using 60 canons that were stolen in Fort Ticonderoga (this was a former French fort on Lake Champlain). It was captured by Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys.
win battle bunker hill = what reaction am
-These initial victories, the rejection of the Olive Branch Petition and the publication of Common Sense by Thomas Paine convinced the 13 colonies to leave the British Empire definitively.
The separation became official when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
-It was signed on July 4, 1776 (but they did not ring the Liberty Bell):The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having, in direct object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these States…A prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
so Declaration of Independence peace out we good ?
-But the colonies still had to fight for to obtain their independence.
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Thomas Jefferson
disadvantages of the continental army
- The odds were not in the favor of the colonies. They had to face an intimidating coalition that include a myriad of forces who hoped to stop them such as the British Navy (the best in the world), Red Coats (50,000 British soldiers), German mercenaries (30,000 Hessians), slaves, natives (Cherokees, Shawnees, Delawares, Creeks, Choctaws, Iroquois…) and loyalists (20 percent of the population of the colonies wished to remain in the British Empire).
- Moreover, the British controlled New York City and Canada despite the courageous efforts of the Americans to control these territories (the Americans were sure that the French Canadians would join them but they did not).
- The colonies’ efforts were also undermined by their lack unity. The 13 colonies did not have a common currency, treasury, court, capital…
advantages of the continental army
- However, the Continental Army could count on its knowledge of the terrain and the fact that the war was not popular in Britain and it’s very difficult for powerful countries to win unpopular wars.
- Moreover, the Americans had the support of idealistic foreigners such as Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben (this Prussian officer trained the soldier of the Continental Army to use the bayonets as effectively as the British Red Coats).
“Come one come all”
what were the bets of the results of amr war?
-By the end of 1776, most observers believed that the British would end this rebellion within 6 months.
What changed tide of war
- This changed when George Washington crossed the frozen Delaware River on Christmas Eve (1776) to stun the Hessians (Germans mercenaries) at Trenton and the Red Coats at Princeton.
- The Victories at Trenton and Princeton lifted moral and saved the American cause heading into 1777.
- The turning point of the Revolution was the Battle of Saratoga (Fall of 1777).
- The Continental Army defeated the arrogant British General Burgoyne.
- Burgoyne and 6,000 Red Coats came down from Canada to reinforce their peers in New York City.
- Burgoyne’s troops underestimated the difficulty of traveling in the wilderness and they were surprised by the Continental Army.
effects winning the Hessians (Germans mercenaries) at Trenton and the Red Coats at Princeton, Battle of Saratoga
- These victories gave confidence to the Americans and it led the French to join their side to weaken the British Empire (Spain also began supporting the American cause).
- France also recognized the independence of the United States.
was everything smooth sailing after the Battle of Saratoga
-But the Americans still endured setbacks. They had lost Philadelphia (in September 1777) and more than 2,500 soldiers died when they were forced to spend the harsh winter of 1777-1778 at their camp of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (epidemics of diseases such as influenza and typhus caused most deaths).
After 1778 where did the actions happen
- After 1778, the action shifted to the south. Most of the south was controlled by General Cornwallis and his Red Coats.
- Cornwallis was obtaining fewer soldiers from the British authorities because the war was unpopular in Great Britain so he took his troops south because he believed that it would be easier to find loyalists who would volunteer to support the British cause in the southern colonies.
was shifting south a good idea for the British troops and conclusion war
- However, General Cornwallis was constantly harassed by the troops of Nathaniel Greene and a guerilla band led by Francis Marion, the swamp fox.
- Cornwallis regretted his choice and in 1781 and he made a costly mistake by trapping himself on a narrow piece of land in Yorktown, Virginia where he was surrounded by the Continental Army led by George Washington and the French Navy.
- Left without any reinforcements Cornwallis decided to surrender after a siege for 3 weeks. This marked the end hostilities (the Battle of Yorktown cause approximately 400 victims).
-The Americans enjoyed the upper hand in the negotiation but the British position was not desperately weak. They still controlled areas of the American colonies including New York City.
-The lengthy peace negotiations took place in Paris. The Americans failed to obtain Canada and access to the Gulf of Mexico.
-However, Great Britain recognized the independence of the United States. Great Britain also relinquished all properties in the former colonies.
“The revolution did more than legally create the United States; it transformed American society” (Wood, 1991, p. 6) because the governmental institutions that the Founding Fathers would create still remain the main unifying forces in the United States today.
industrial revolution intro
- Two major political revolutions took place in the late 18th Century in the United States and France. At the same time the British were the experiencing another revolutionary event.
- The industrial revolution which began in Great Britain in the late 18th century changed the pace of production and the working habits of mankind significantly.
- The industrial revolution was arguably the most important advance in history since the Neolithic Revolution (10,000 B. C. to 4,000 B. C.):
This revolution was perhaps the greatest transformation in society since settled farming.(Lockard, 2011, p. 527)
-During the late 18th Century, Great Britain became the first industrialized nation. It was the workshop of the world because of the following reasons:
- The British Agricultural Revolution: During the 18th Century, Britain increased its agricultural output significantly.
- Mineral resources: Britain was richly supplied with minerals that are needed in the manufacturing process such as coal and iron.
- Geographical factors: Britain is a small country and the transportation of goods and resources was facilitated by many existing rivers:
- Great Britain had the largest colonial empire and the best navy in the world.
- Great inventors:
- Stability: Since 1688, England had been stable socially and politically.
The British Agricultural Revolution cause
- This was caused by the innovative farming methods and selective breeding of livestock used by British farmers such as Robert Bakewell.
- They viewed farming like a science. English landlords displayed an interest in crop rotation and fertilizer which their counterparts from other European kingdoms would have found quite beneath their dignity.
Consequence one of the agricultural revolution
Lower food prices =
- Population growth leading to a greater workforce
- lower food prices leading to more disposable income
Population growth
- The access to more food triggered a spectacular population growth. It also freed up a significant percentage of the laborers to work in other industries and allowed the British consumers to spend less on food.
- The population of England, the main region of Great Britain, doubled from 8.5 to 17 million between 1801 and 1851 (Kishlansky, 2007, p. 425).
lower food prices
- Lower food prices did not only allow the growth of the population. It also meant that British consumers had more disposable income than ever before to buy other goods such as clothing and furniture.
- The fact that British consumers paid less for food and that there were more consumers than ever in Britain created a large market with many consumers who had plenty of money to spend:
Cheaper food allowed more discretionary spending, which fueled the demand for consumer goods(Kishlansky et al., 2007, p. 425).
- Mineral resources: Britain was richly supplied with minerals that are needed in the manufacturing process such as coal and iron. causes and consequence
- minerals were needed to conduct the operations of the industrial revolution and great britain had a ton
-The use of these minerals in transportation and manufacturing caused a boom in the British mining industry.
-The use of coal grew by 400 percent between 1815 and 1840. The production of iron increased by more than 700 percent from 1790 and 1830 (King, 2006, p. 623). This demand for coal caused the creation of new mining towns in Wales, Scotland and northern England.The Industrial Revolution could not have occurred without coal. It was the black gold of the eighteen century, the fuel that fed the furnaces and turned the engines of industrial expansion.(Kishlanky et al, 2007, p. 426).
- Geographical factors:
Among Britain’s blessings. Water was foremost. Britain was favored by an internal water system that tied inland communities together. In the eighteenth century, no place in Britain was more than 70 miles from the sea or more than 30 miles from a navigable river. (Kishlansky, 2007, p. 425).
-The British parliament and bankers were also willing to invest in building transportation infrastructures such canals, bridges and railroads.
- These allowed manufacturers to take their goods to customers across Great Britain very quickly.
- Great Britain and its colonies formed one big market where goods could move quickly and without trading barriers.
- Because of that Great Britain was the first country to have a large-scale capitalist economy.
- British manufacturers knew that they were not producing only for the people of the town where their manufacture was located. They could have access to all the customers of Great Britain and even customers in the British colonies overseas.
