Week 2 Flashcards
What was the 1701 Act of Settlement?
- Parliament declares the succession of the House of Hanover after the death of Queen Anne
When does George Ist come to the throne?
1714
Which political faction was AGAINST the Act of Succession? Why?
- The Tories
- They believed that circumventing the hereditary succession was a breach of God’s will
What were the Navigation Acts?
- Declared that anyone who wanted to trade with the North American colonies or England had to use an English ship and sail through an English port
- For other countries, especially the Scots, this greatly increased costs of trade with the affluent colonies
What was the Darien Venture?
- 1698-1700
- Scottish attempt to colonize the Isthmus of Panama
- Took 1/5th of Scottish capital
- 80% of the colonists die of disease
What was the Scottish Act of Security, 1705?
- Scottish parliament declare that THEY will choose who the next monarch of Scotland is, not the English parliament
- This is an act of independence, in principle
Why is the Scottish Act of Security, 1705 worrisome for the English?
Because the English fear that the Scots will choose James III as successor
What are the main conditions of the Scottish Union in 1707?
- Abolition of an independent Scottish parliament
- Scottish representatives are sent to the English Parliament
Despite marking a devastating loss of identity and pride, how did the Union benefit Scotland?
- Free trade between Scotland and England
-The repelling of the Navigation Acts for Scotland
How many people are living in England and Wales in 1721?
5.6 million
Define “The Augustan Age”:
- The first half of the 18th century
- Refers to a period of power of the landed elite
- Named so because the landed elite were most powerful under Emperor Augustus
Who said “By the fixed invariable rules of distinction of rank, which create no jealously, since they are held to be accidental” ?
Samuel Johnson
True or False: England had a caste system
FALSE
There were no fixed social hierarchies
State the difference between hierarchy and class:
- Hierarchy is to relate yourself to who is above, or below you (vertical thinking)
- Class, however, is when you relate to people alike you (horizontal thinking)
State how notions of property and status were different in the Medieval period to the Modern period:
- Medieval thinking: Status determines property
- Modern thinking: Property determines status
When is the East India Company established?
1600
When does the East India Company last until?
1874
What type of company was the East India Company?
A joint stock company (a company that people could buy shares and invest in)
What eastern goods did the East India Company introduce in large numbers to the English market?
Cotton, silk, tea, salt, spices, opium, etc.
How large was the EICs standing army?
250 000
Why was the East India Company Important?
- It ran India on behalf of the British state
- It introduced new eastern goods to British markets and vice versa
- It disrupted India’s caste system and Princely influence
- It showed that English imperial rule was founded on collaboration and cooperation
From 1750-1850, what portion of world trade did the EIC account for?
One half
What were soldiers of the EIC called?
Sepoys
Which dying empire did the EIC eclipse and take advantage of to increase their foothold in India?
The Mughal Empire
Who was Thomas “Diamond” Pitt?
- Lower born son of an Anglican Clergyman
- He became a sea captain
- Eventually, through trade, he becomes the head director of the East India Company
- He returns to England and buys a ton of land
- Example of someone who gains wealth through trade, and turns wealth into status by buying land
*(His grandchildren were William Pitt the elder and the younger)
How many noble families were there in England in the period?
200
What were the 5 recognized professions of the “Middling Sort”?
- Lawyer
- Clergyman
- Doctor
- Army
- Navy
Who were cottagers?
Those whose only possession was a tiny house called a cottage
What was the classification for those who didn’t work, own anything, etc?
Vagrants
List the English social hierarchical scale of the period:
- Royal Family
- Nobility
- Gentry
- Farmers
- Middling Sort
- Tradesmen
- Laborers/Domestic Servants
- Cottagers
- Vagrants
What were the 2 moral categories of the poor?
- Deserving poor –> Those who are not at fault for their poverty and lack of work (ex. orphans, disabled, veterans, etc.)
- Undeserving poor –> Those who are able to work but choose not to
True or False: In general, there is a hardening attitude towards the poor throughout the period
TRUE
Define: Deference
- What those from below “give back” to their patrons above
- Includes acknowledgement of one’s higher rank or status
Define Patronage
-What the people at the top do for those below them
- In theory, all jobs in society are given by patronage
In the period, those who were able to vote were expected to vote for _______________
Whoever their patron voted for
True or False: To vote, one had to go to city hall, and you would show in public who you were voting for
TRUE
In English society, when in her life does a woman’s legal identity disappear?
At mariage
The only way one could obtain a legal divorce was ___________
Through an Act of Parliament
Considering the difficulty of obtaining an Act of Parliament, how did most divorcees separate?
- By simply parting ways and moving to different towns, at which point the community would generally accept the separation
Define cooperative management
Neighboring farmers cooperating with each other and helping one another in times of shortage, etc.
Define common rights
The communally established right to use common pasture land, fallen branches, etc.
What was the Enclosure Movement, and why was it so important?
- Movement encouraging the fencing off and increased privatization of property
- It was seen as economically more efficient
- But, it dismantled common rights
Before stone walls and fences were introduced during the Enclosure movement, how did farmers typically demarcate their land?
- With ditches
What was the “Putting Out System”?
-Instead of people going to work in factories, the business gives a raw material (ex. wool) to different households, and in return, the household will spin it into yarn, and give it back to the businessman
- The businessman would pay the family upon picking up the finished materials
Unlike Continental Europe, Britain’s local government was NOT run by ______________
Royal agents
Instead of using Royal Agents like France, what did England rely upon for local government?
Local Elite
Who form the backbone of the local government?
JP’s (Justice of the Peace)
–> - JP’s are local gentlemen who run local governments
A local JP had to have a minimum income of ___________ a year.
100 pds a year
What cases were JP’s authorized to resolve?
- They deal with trespassing, bylaws, and other minor crimes
How many times a year did JP’s meet? What were these meetings called?
- 4 times a year
- Quarter-sessions
True or False: Local JP’s can arrest people as well
TRUE
What position is the connection between municipal and federal governments?
Lord Lieutenant
Instead of a police force, Britain had ____________ and ___________.
Volunteer Constables and “Thief Takers”
What were Thief Takers?
Thief Takers are those who chased down thieves and got bounty rewards for them
What was George Ists preffered party?
Whigs
What is the nickname for the Whig Party?
The Party of the Court
What was the nickname for the Tory Party?
The Country Party
In what years was George I King of Britain and Ireland?
1714-1727
True or False: George I heavily relied on parliament and the prime minister
TRUE
Where did George I spend his summers?
Hanover
Who is the last British monarch to lead troops in battle? In which war?
George II
Austrian War of Succession, 1743
Who was the first (and longest serving) Prime Minister in British history? What party did he belong to?
Sir. Robert Walpole (a Whig)
Which political party did George II prefer?
Whigs
_______ and _________ are the first two colonizing imperial powers.
Spain and Portugal
How did the English Empire stand out administratively from its European counterparts?
- It had representative governments (ex. 13 colonies)
What was the initial source of labor in the West Indies, before slavery?
Indentured Servitude
Describe the system of Indenture:
- A contract to working for a certain amount of time; The trade-off is that you will be fed and transported across the Atlantic in return for your 5-year work contract
Explain the Triangular Trade:
- English trade metal and luxury goods to Africa
- Africans give slaves to the colonies
- The colonies send back goods produced by the slaves
Explain the significance of the Triangular Trade:
- It destroyed African communities and institutionalized slavery on a mass, unprecedented scale
- ## It drove Britain’s colonial revenues
By the 1780s, how many pounds of sugar a year did the average Briton consume?
12 pounds
Why were inhabitants of India treated differently than Indigenous peoples in Africa and North America?
- They had an ancient written culture that the English respected and recognized
What were the 3 most important trading posts of the East India Company?
- Bombay
- Calcutta
- Madras
How did the EIC make so much money in India?
- They traded and negotiated with local rulers for the rights to impose taxes on them
True or False: The EIC was often larger than the British Army itself.
TRUE
In what year does the EIC receive its own governor general?
1773
Who were the Nabobs?
English men who would make a fortune in India, then return to England
What were Britain’s 2 foremost aims in international diplomacy in the mid-late 18th century?
- Maintain a balance of power in Europe
- Oppose France
What was the War of Austrian Succession?
- Spain, France, Prussia VS. Britain, Netherlands, Austria
- Largely fought over the Rhineland, but conflict ensued in colonies as well
What was the first true global conflict Britain found herself embroiled in?
The Seven Years’ War
What was the Treaty of Paris, 1763? Why was it important?
- Ended the Seven Years’ War
- Confirmed British supremacy in North America
Why do the English view the American Revolution as being another civil war?
-Because it is about the rights of subjects of the king in the thirteen colonies, and thus, Englishmen
- Many of the colonials see themselves as subject to the King, NOT the English parliament
What were the 2 main financial issues leading to the American Revolution?
- Taxes
- Trade
What were the contrasting views of taxes in the American colonies?
- English view that American colonists should have a greater contribution to their own defense
- American view that the threats the English need to protect America are based on overexaggerated and unrealistic fears of a French invasion
What was the specific issue with trade that the American colonists found problematic?
- The Navigation Acts were still in force
- So, the colonists couldn’t trade directly with other nations, thus adding costs to American colonists business
Identify and state the significance of the 1765 Stamp Act:
- New tax to raise money to defend the American colonies
- Required people to buy official tax stamps for all official documents and newspapers
- This led to riots in Boston and New York
- The Act was repealed in 1766, but it was too late
Explain the Boston Tea Party:
- British government tries to help out the East India Company, because it is in debt
- The EIC has a huge surplus of tea from China, so the British allow them to sell it directly to the American colonies
- This infuriates local American businessmen
- In 1773, at Boston Harbour, 15 American colonists dressed as Mohawks snuck onto an EIC ship, and dumped the tea into the water
Why is the Boston Tea Party important?
- The English respond with repressive measures called the Intolerable Acts
- Catalyst for colonial American unity
What were the conditions of the Intolerable Acts?
- The British abolish the Boston town council and put their own government in its place
- British shut down Boston Harbour to trade
- British build army barracks in Boston
State the significance of the American Revolutionary War:
- It marks a breaking point in the British Empire
- Forces the British to focus more on Asia and Africa
- British tighten rule and lessen independent administration (ex. local councils) in all other colonies (ex. Governor-Generals in Canada)
What was the 1783 Treaty of Paris?
- Confirmed American Independence
