Topic 6: Royal authority and the right to representation

Question 1

Recap of Britain taking over America

Answer 1

• During the 17th century, Britain had become very powerful. It took over other parts of the world, including large parts of North America. However, by the 1260s-70s the people of America were unhappy about being a part of the British Empire.
• Britain used North America as a colony to grow crops like cotton, tobacco and sugar.
• The British also used North America ad a penal colony. Around 50,000 British colonies were sent to colonial America.
• By the early 1700s there were 13 sperate English colonies in North America and by 1775 there were around 2.5 million settlers. Many became wealthy by dealing in slaves.

Question 2

What were the causes of the American Revolution?

Answer 2

Long term causes
- Americans resented paying for the British army’s presence in North America.
- Navigation Acts (passed in mid-1600s but still in force) meant that the colonists could only trade with Britain, not other countries.
- Colonists disagreed with land boundaries that the British had agreed with the Native Americans.

Medium term causes
- The Americans were ruled from Britain yet they had no representatives in the British Parliament.
- Stamp Tax - a tax on all documents including newspapers - was very unpopular.
- They were unhappy about paying tax without having a say in them. They used the slogan ‘No taxation without representation!’.

Short term causes
- 1770 Boston Massacre - the British army shot and killed some anti-British colonists.
- 1773 Boston Tea Party - colonists poured British tea into the harbour in protest at the Tea Tax imposed by the British.
- 1775 Lexington incident - British soldiers were fired on when they tried to seize some gunpowder. This was the start of the American Revolution.

Question 3

What was the Declaration of Independence?

Answer 3

The Americans met in Congress to decide what to do about the British. By 1775 George Washington had become the leader of their army.

A Declaration of Independence was issued in 1776 in Philadelphia. It stated that the 13 colonies were free and that all control from Britain had ended. 7 years of fighting followed to achieve this.

Question 4

What was the turning point of the Revolution?

Answer 4

Yorktown
- The decisive battle of the war was at Yorktown in 1781.
- The Americans had 3000 extra men and they had the support of the French.
- The French had secured the waters around Yorktown so the British could not get their supplies form the sea.
- British troops moved onto a peninsula as they awaited supplies.
- George Washington attacked the British. The British were forced to surrender.

British royal authority had been successfully challenged by a group who had a clear cause: the developments of democracy.

Question 5

What were the consequences of the American revolution for everyone?

Answer 5

Consequences for America
- Set up their own system of government with a constitution, Congress and a President.
- The system still exist today.
- Poor people didn’t get the vote despite the Declaration of Independence stating that ‘all men are created equal’.
- Slavery still existed and Native Americans were still discriminated against.
- By the early 20th century America had developed into the most powerful country in the world.

Consequences for Britain
- Relations with France worsened after the war, because of the French support for the Americans.
- Britain used Australia and New Zealand as new penal colonies.
- India became the most important colony - the ‘jewel in the crown’.
- Britain had to deal with its growing working-class population who might like the idea of overthrowing authority.

Consequences for the world
- The American Revolution inspired the French revolution and King Louis XVI was executed.
- The French revolution inspired the working class in Britain and other countries to demand voting rights and better representation.