1771-1775

Question 1

Committees of Correspondence 1771

Answer 1

1771- Boston Town Meeting: Sam Adam’s created a committee of correspondence to communicate colonial grievances through Massachusetts.

Question 2

Gaspee Affair, June 1772

Answer 2

Rhode Islanders attack HMS Gaspee, shooting a British naval officer and setting the ship on fire;
British officials wanted them to stand trial in Britain, but colonists believed it wouldn’t be a fair trial.
Shows colonists were willing to act violently against the British.

Question 3

Hutchinson affair dec 1772 & June 1773

Answer 3

13 letters from an anonymous source sent communication between Thomas Hutchinson and his lieutenant as well as British officials. Letters asked to send more troops to Massachusetts, suggested harsher colony punishments.
Letters published in the Boston gazette
General court passed a resolution removing Hutchinson & Oliver from office.

Question 4

Tea Act

Answer 4

Designed to save the near bankrupt East India Company by permitting it to export tea to the colonies directly.
Abolished the duty on EIC tea sold in the colonies meaning American merchants were undercut and struggled to make a profit.

Question 5

Colonist reaction is the tea act

Answer 5

1. Bitter attacks in newspapers & pamphlets
2. Tea agents who collected the duties were forced to resign & violence threatened on merchants
3. The Boston Tea Party
   Ship bearing 114 chests of tea set to be disembarked onto Boston harbour.
   16th December: 60 sons of liberty disguised as native Americans boarded the 3 ships & threw the tea into the harbour.

Question 6

Boston port act

Answer 6

1774
Closed the port facilities in Boston until the city reimbursed the EIC for the tea destroyed at the Boston tea party.
Colonies rallied to Bostons aid, first continental congress convened to direct opposition to Britain.

Question 7

Quartering Act 1774

Answer 7

Colonies required to provide soldiers with living accommodations in public facilities like inns & taverns as well as private homes.
Act was applied to all American colonies not just Massachusetts.

Question 8

Administration of Justice Act 1774

Answer 8

Britain wanted to protect officials serving in the disobedient colony: British officials accused of capital crimes could be tried in Britain (possibly avoid a harsher sentence)
Britain replaced the colonial justice system with one that benefitted them.

Question 9

The Massachusetts government act 1774

Answer 9

Placed Massachusetts under control of the crowns appointed governor. This meant all colonial laws and customs could be ignored by the British. It also restricted the number of town meetings the community could hold.

Question 10

The Quebec act 1774

Answer 10

Designed to give better rights to the french inhabitants of Canada. A new governor & council appointed to govern affairs in Quebec.

Question 11

Opposition to the intolerable acts

Answer 11

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia were angered as they believed the land rightfully theirs was given to the Canadians.
Many merchants & businessmen previously not a part of the economic boycotts, now joined.

Question 12

First continental congress: September 1774

Answer 12

Independence not discussed, response to the intolerable acts was the reasoning.
Key individuals: George Washington, Samuel & John Adam’s, Patrick Henry, John Jay, John Dickinson.
12/13 colonies sent delegates

Question 13

What was discussed at the first continental congress?

Answer 13

Galloway plan of union:
Goal=establish political structure between Britain & the colonies.
Proposed= appt by the king “president general”, grand council
Suffolk resolves: declaration rejecting Massachusetts government act in a boycott of British goods unless the acts were repealed.
Continental association: inter colonial agreement for economic sanctions on British trade.
Plea of conciliation: British attempt to reduce tension, if colonies paid for their own defense there would be no more taxation rejected by the colonies.

Question 14

Outline the second continental congress

Answer 14

13/13 delegates
Declaration of causes & necessity of taking up arms issued in July 1775 explains why the colonies had taken up arms
Olive branch petition (final attempt to avoid a war) petition affirmed American loyalty to great britiain and asked for the king to prevent further conflict but king George ignored this.

Question 15

What strategy did the British start the revolutionary war with?

Answer 15

They start with a seaboard strategy which uses the navy to secure the coast to be able to take in supplies, further in from the coast and harder to get supplies.

Question 16

List the British generals in order

Answer 16

1. General Gage
2. General Howe (meant to meet at Saratoga but..
3. General Leger is stopped by colonial militia
4. General Bergoin surrenders at Saratoga due to back up not arriving
5. General Clinton stays in New York and sends..
6. General Cornwallace to the south (Yorktown)

Question 17

List of American generals in order

Answer 17

George Washington
Horatio Gates (won Saratoga, loses battle of Camden in the south)
Nathanial Greene (American general in the south)

Question 18

Lexington & Concord

Answer 18

British were rescued by reinforcements meaning they were victorious and colonists abandoned
Battle of concord resulted in 99 British killed and 174 wounded

Question 19

Bunker hill

Answer 19

1,054/2,300 British soldiers were killed or wounded, giving the colonists hope.

Question 20

Common sense

Answer 20

1776
Thomas Paine
Criticises British government
Many patriots see it as providing the moral message that they need to encourage other colonists onto their side.

Question 21

Declaration of Independence

Answer 21

Stated that the 13 colonies were separating from British rule. Written largely by Thomas Jefferson.