Power and the people - Royal authority and the right to representation

Question 1

What were the long-term causes of the American revolution?

Answer 1

Distance - the colonies were 3000 miles away from England. They increasingly ran their own affairs
Disputes over trade - the colonists were forced to comply with the Navigation Acts which meant that only British goods were imported into America
Disputes over land - The British made agreements with Native Americans about the land without consulting the colonists
Disputes over taxation - The American Colonists resented paying taxes to the British Army. They also had to pay the “Stamp Act” on paper.

Question 2

What were the short-term causes of the American revolution?

Answer 2

• taxation without representation in parliament
• The 1770 Boston Massacre -> The British Army opened fire and killed a number of colonists who had jeered and thrown snowballs and sticks at them
• The 1773 Boston Tea Party -> American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbour
• The Lexington incident -> When the British Army tried to seize a supply of Gunpowder in Concord, they were fired on by minutemen - this marked the start of the revolution against the British

Question 3

What occurred during the battle of Yorktown in 1781?

Answer 3

• the American troops, perceived to be weak, had reinforced themselves with 3000 extra men. Added to this, they had the support of the French, who had secured control of the waters around Yorktown -> this was important as the British needed to get their supplies in from the sea
• the British commander, Charles Cornwalls, unwittingly helped the Americans by moving the troops onto a peninsula as they awaited supplies. George Washington, serving the advantage he could have, attacked the British. With few weapons and no supplies, the British were forced to surrender
• The Battle of Yorktown saw the immediate defeat of the British and end of the war of independence

Question 4

What did America do with their newly won independence?

Answer 4

The Americans set up their own system of government with a written set of rules, a parliament and a president. This system still exists today, they now called themselves the United States of America

Question 5

What problems existed in America?

Answer 5

• Many poor farmers who could afford to buy their land, could not vote. The rich were represented but not the poor. Furthermore, slavery still existed and Native Americans were widely discriminated against.
• However, by the early 20th century, America had developed into the most powerful independent country in the world