The causes of the American Revolution

Question 0

Why did Britain try to strengthen its control over the colonies?
Military

Answer 0

Defence of colonial boundaries against Native American attacks was increasingly important as colonies expanded westward. May 1763 Pontiac’s rebellion destroyed every British port west of Niagra. Native Americans only defeated by British soldiers. Confirmed view in London that colonies needed British troops for defence.

Question 1

Why did Britain try to strengthen its control over the colonies?
Economic

Answer 1

British national debt had doubled between 1755 and 1763, partly caused by the 7 Years’ War. Politicians angry that colonial governments had contributed little to their own defence during the war.

Question 2

Why did Britain try to strengthen its control over the colonies?
Smuggling

Answer 2

During the Seven Years’ War it had become apparent that smuggling with Europe and West Indies was big business in America

Question 3

When did Grenville become Prime Minister?

Answer 3

April 1763

Question 4

Why did Grenville try to strengthen British control over the colonies?

Answer 4

To pay off national debt. Interest on national debt in 1763 was £4.4 mil and annual gov. income £8 mil. Increase taxes on America. Americans only paid one shilling in taxes per year while Britons paid 26. Cost of colonial defence had risen from £70,000 I 1748 to £350,000 in 1763
More money needed to maintain 10,000 troops

Question 5

To what extent did Grenville’s western policies alienate Americans?
Proclamation line October 1763

Answer 5

All land claims west of Appalachians nullified. Intended to be temporary to reduce Native Am. and colonial conflict.
Angered Virginians, frontiersmen and speculators.
Ignored. At least 30,000 Americans settled west of line between 1763 and ‘68.

Question 6

To what extent did Grenville’s western policies alienate Americans?
Anti-smuggling measures 1763

Answer 6

Customs officials had to reside in colonies. Fine if custom officials take bribes.
Jurisdiction in revenue cases transferred from lenient colonial courts to a vice admiralty court. This challenged the colonial legal system.

Question 7

To what extent did Grenville’s western policies alienate Americans?
1764 Sugar Act

Answer 7

Halved duty on Sugar. Previous Act only made £21,000 over 30 years. Stricter enforcement hoped to yield £78,000 in one year.
Affected primarily New England distillers.
Imposed duties to raise revenue with underrepresentation (only five Americans in House of Commons between 1763-83)
1765-9 9 colonial assemblies write in complaint to London. Abuse of power

Question 8

To what extent did Grenville’s western policies alienate Americans?
Standing army

Answer 8

American Whiggism - resist arbitrary rule - standing army potential threat to liberty.

Question 9

To what extent did Grenville’s western policies alienate Americans?
Public figures

Answer 9

John Wilkes - British Whig called king’s ministers ‘tools of despotism and corruption’. Imprisoned . American hero
James Otis 1764 The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved. No taxation without consent ‘enslaved’

Question 10

Stamp Act overview

Answer 10

1764 Granville announces his intent to impose a Stamp duty - one year to prepare
Bill passed in February 1765 to take effect on 1 November 1765
Stamps fixed onto every printed item, but lighter tax than England, to be spent entirely on colonies and only covers 1/4 of the cost of defence.

Question 11

Why was the Stamp Act more antagonistic than The Sugar Act?

Answer 11

The Stamp Act applied universally, antagonising the most influential colonists - lawyers, printers and tavern keepers. It was the first direct tax levied by Parliament on the colonies.

Question 12

Why did the Stamp Act provoke such a violent reaction in the colonies?

Answer 12

When Virginian assembly adopted 5 of Patrick Henry’s resolutions it was printed in many colonial newspapers and portrayed as is Virginia had rejected the Stamp Act and would resist Britain if they tried to impose it. By end of 1765 eight other colonies had passed resolutions condemning the act and denying Parliament’s right to tax the colonies.

Question 13

Why did the Stamp Act provoke such a violent reaction in the colonies?

Answer 13

October 1765 New York Stamp Act Congress gathered 27 delegates from 9 colonies. Sought the repeal of the Stamp Act, abolition of vice-admiralty courts and of any ‘other late acts for the restriction of American commerce’.

Question 14

What were popular beliefs of taxation and government in the colonies at the time?

Answer 14

Only proper way to raise money in America was through Assemblies.
Notion that the Stamp Act was evidence of a conspiracy to deprive Americans of their liberties was disseminated. Fear of any government
Fear that a standing army would force oppressive laws on colonists

Question 15

Why did the Stamp Act provoke such a violent reaction in the colonies?
Popular resistance

Answer 15

Common crowd action - common in 18th century - evolved into popular militancy.
Loyal Nine - Boston led by Sam Adams - united with North and South End gangs against supporters of Stamp Act
August 1765 effigies of Oliver and Bute hanged on Liberty Tree. Mob destroyed Oliver’s office, home and Hutchinson’s mansion

Question 16

Why did the Stamp Act provoke such a violent reaction in the colonies?
Success

Answer 16

Stamp distributors resigned or fled in every colony. Stamp Act nullified by mob action. No governors requested standing army to deal with civil disobedience.
Sons of Liberty (elite and new men) kept political consciousness high
Appealed to the public not to buy British goods until Stamp Act was repealed. This was v effective

Question 17

Why did Britain repeal the Stamp Act?

Answer 17

New PM July 1765 Marquis of Rockingham more cautious than Grenville
Parliament divided between those who believed colonists were whining and those merchants and manufacturers who feared boycott.
General Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of colonies informed the PM that the Act could not be enforced without far greater military force than he possessed.
Benjamin Franklin appeared before a Commons Committee to ease fears that the colonies would never pay taxes again. He insisted that the colonies only objected to internal taxes.
The Stamp Act was repealed in March 1766 by 275 votes to 167

Question 18

Historian to cite taxation as the main cause of resistance to British rule

Answer 18

Dr L.Tucker

Question 19

Example of taxes uniting colonists against Britain

Answer 19

Stamp Act Congress

Question 20

How much would the Stamp Act have raised?

Answer 20

Only £60,000 per year

Question 21

How much would the Townshend Duties have raised?

Answer 21

£40,000 per year

Question 22

Historian quote about political ideas

Answer 22

Eric Robson. “Political ideas, not tea or taxes” were most responsible for American opposition to British rule.

Question 23

Taxation was seen as part of a wider attack on

Answer 23

colonists’ liberties

Question 24

The Proclamation line (1763) and the Quartering Act (1765) were seen as

Answer 24

An abandonment of former precedents set during the period of salutary neglect.

Question 25

Historian quote about American resistance to any interfering policy

Answer 25

If the colonists were willing to accept British acts, “a precedent would be established for making still greater inroads on liberty and property.”

Question 26

American fear of the Boston Tea Party (1773)

Answer 26

Paranoia that it was the beginning of an attempt to undercut all of the trading industries.

Question 27

American conspiracy of tyranny was more important than taxation because

Answer 27

it misconstrued British taxes into a threat to colonial liberty, which popularised opposition.

Question 28

Historian quote about salutary neglect

Answer 28

Christie states that “American colonists … regulated their own internal policies.”

Question 29

How many colonial measures were disallowed by Britain from 1691-1775?

Answer 29

Only 5% of 8500 colonial measures, thus creating a sense of independence and control within the colonies.

Question 30

Although on the surface British governors and other officials controlled colonies …

Answer 30

practical power lay with the Colonial Assemblies, which decided the pay rolls of officials.

Question 31

The desire for equality with British subjects can be seen in

Answer 31

the Virginia Resolves (1765) following the stamp act, calling for equal rights and representation in British Parliament

Question 32

The perception of colonial control following a period of salutary neglect, and then sudden change in precedence, created political opposition to British rule.

Answer 32

The perception of colonial control following a period of salutary neglect, and then sudden change in precedence, created political opposition to British rule.

Question 33

Change in policy from salutary neglect to an active policy was the main cause of opposition to British rule.

Answer 33

Change in policy from salutary neglect to an active policy was the main cause of opposition to British rule.

Question 34

The unreasonable attitude of the American towards the British was

Answer 34

the consequence of inconsistent British colonial policy

Question 35

American ignorance of the mercantile system’s regulations

Answer 35

Grenville’s ministry estimated that £700,000 worth of imports were smuggled into the colonies annually.

Question 36

Historian British mismanagement

Answer 36

Arthur Schlesinger “blind officialsim”

Question 37

British stubborn aggression can be seen with the

Answer 37

Declaratory Act of March 1766, in conjunction with the repeal of the Stamp Act, which reinstated British authority over the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”.

Question 38

Historian agenda of colonial taxation from 1863 was to

Answer 38

“establish the inferiority and dependence of the colonies”.

Question 39

Loyalist historians who believe that the unreasonable attitude of colonial radicals caused deteriorations of relations

Answer 39

Hutchinson and Galloway

Question 40

Salutary neglect historian

Answer 40

Alan Farmer ‘Years of Calm’

Question 41

Loss of hope in the British government owed to

Answer 41

their continuation of unexplained law, and reactionary position towards representation of the colonies in Parliament.

Question 42

Gradually resolving relations appeared to be

Answer 42

“a fallacious dream.” - Thomas Paine

Question 43

Largest British error was to

Answer 43

failing to act continually either as sovereign or equal, gave the colonists no choice but to react with reasoned confusion and resentment.