The Road to Revolution

Question 0

Mercantilism

Answer 0

The colonies should help with the mother country be self-sufficient economically by exporting more than its imports

Question 1

1763 as a turning point

Answer 1

Undistracted by war, the British government could now turn its attention to the organization of its empire.

Question 2

Currency act 1764

Answer 2

Prevented colonists from printing worthless paper money to pay debts they owed to the British

Question 3

Sugar act of 1764

Answer 3

A tax to raise revenue not controlled trade like the molasses act. It taxed imported sugar and was strictly in enforced in admirality courts not courts with a jury of colonial peers

Question 4

Stamp of 1765

Answer 4

Direct internal tax on all printed materials to raise revenue for the Empire

Question 5

Stamp act crisis of 1765 to 1766

Answer 5

James OTIS and Sam ADAMS (SONS OF LIBERTY) led a violent colonial response to tax. There argument was that Parliament did not have the right to tax the colonies. Nine Colonies sent representatives to the stamp act Congress to discuss United colonial resistance to the act. The most successful resistance was the boycott all British goods (non-importation).

Question 6

Quartering act of 1765

Answer 6

Due to violent resistance in the colonies, Parliament decided to send more troops to the colonies to support and protect government officials. Colonists were expected to pay for their food and housing and or provide it on demand.

Question 7

Declaratory act of 1766

Answer 7

A new administration in England led by prime minister Rockingham decided to repeal the Stamp Act by passing The Declaratory act which reasserted parliamentary authority to tax it’s subjects whenever it wanted to

Question 8

Repeal of taxes of 1770

Answer 8

Due to protest by British merchants to Parliament about colonial boycotts of their goods, prime Minister Lord North repealed all taxes except the tax on tea since it was not grown in the colonies and would not hurt colonial business

Question 9

Townshend acts of 1767

Answer 9

How’s town Shende was next major prime minister in England. He thought colonists would except an external tax (tax on colonial imports), but not internal taxes like the stamp act. He was wrong! The British still used Admirality courts and the Writs of assistance to control colonists leading colonists to once again boycott British goods

Question 10

Boston massacre of 1770

Answer 10

Tension builds as more and more troops were sent into Boston to enforce the Townshend acts. Colonists provoked a fight with British troops and when the soldiers fired into an unruly crowd the colonist had their first martyrs (Crispus Attucks) and used this tragedy as a propaganda device against British

Question 11

Gaspee Incident of 1772

Answer 11

The Gaspee was a British customs schooner that patrolled the New England coast trying to catch smugglers. The ship’s crew alienated the colonists with their enthusiasm in the services of Parliament and for the theft and vandalism they went ashore. Consequently, when the schooner ran aground off the Rhode Island coast, a sea-going mob of Rhode Islanders disguised as American Indians boarded her. Although the British tried to capture those responsible and bring them to trial in England, they were unsuccessful.

Question 12

Tea Act of 1773

Answer 12

designed to aid the floundering East India Company and in fact made tea cheaper; however colonists felt that it broadsided (collided) colonial merchants and smugglers and was an effort to garner support for previous taxes

Question 13

Boston Tea party 1773

Answer 13

In Boston the pro-British Governor Thomas Hutchinson forced a confrontation by ordering royal naval vessels to prevent the tea ships from leaving the harbor. After twenty days this would, by law, result in cargoes being sold at auction and the tax paid. The night before the time was to expire, Bostonians disguised as Native Americans boarded the ships and threw the tea into the harbor. Many Americans felt this- the destruction of private property- was going too far, but the reaction of Lord North and Parliament quickly united Americans in support of Boston and opposition to Britian.

Question 14

Intolerable Acts/ Coercive Acts (inc. Quartering Act) 1774

Answer 14

(1) Port of Boston closed until Boston citizens paid for the destruction of tea (private property). (2) The Royal governor could dictate and control the colonial legislature. (3) Any royal official accused of a crime was to be tried in England, not in the colonies. (4) The stronger Quartering act, under General Gage, was implemented. (5) The act extended Quebec province to all Ohio River Valley, made Catholicism the official religion, and set Quebec govn’t up with no representative assembly. New Englanders viewed this as theft of land and feared the presence of more Catholics on the frontier.

Question 15

First Continental Congress 1774

Answer 15

Colonial response to Intolerable/ Coercive Acts. Leaders met in Philadelphia and petitioned the British Government for relief. Twelve colonies sent representatives. Georgia was absent because it felt it needed Britian’s military aid against potential N.A. attacks. Moderates wanted to offer compromise (tax themselves for defense and new arrangements with Parliament). The radicals prevailed, calling for a repeal of the acts or else. They agreed to meet again in a year (May 1775) if Parliament had not backed off. The First Continental Congress also called for local committees in each town to enforce the boycott of British goods, officially called the Committees of Observation and Safety (aka the Association)

Question 16

Battles of Lexington and Concord (April) 1775

Answer 16

British govn’t paid little attention to the First Continental Congress, having decided to teach the Americans a military lesson. More troops were sent to Massachusetts, which was official declared to be in a state of rebellion. Orders were sent to Gen. Gage to arrest the leaders of the resistance or, failing that, to provoke any sort of confrontation that would allow him to turn British military might loose on the Americans. Consequently, he set out to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock, as well as capture munitions at Lexington and Concord. In the process shots were fired an open warfare ensued. American Minutemen chased Gage’s army out of Lexington and Concord all the way back to Boston and Gage suffered serious losses.

Question 17

Battle of Bunker Hill (May) 1775

Answer 17

Once warfare commenced, the myth of British invincibility was destroyed. Militiamen came in large numbers from all the New England colonies to join the forces besieging Gage and his army in Boston. In May 1775, three more British generals- Howe, Clinton, Burgoyne- arrived in Boston and urged Gage to take further aggressive action. The following month the Americans tightened the noose around Boston, by fortifying Breed’s Hill (spur of Bunker Hill) from which they could, if necessary, bombard Boston. The British determined to remove them by frontal attack that would demonstrate the awesome power of British arms. Twice the British were thrown back but finally succeeded as the Americans ran out of munitions. Over 1,00 British soldiers were killed or wounded in what turned out to be the bloodiest battle of the war. yet the British gained very little and remained bottled up in Boston, while the Americans, even in defeat gained tremendous confidence.

Question 18

Second Continental Congress (May) 1775

Answer 18

Attended by 12 colonies (excluding Georgia again). Due to historical circumstances this became first national govn’t of the U.S. for 5 years (1776-81). It organized an army under Washington to resist and adopt the “OLIVE BRANCH PETITION” (July 1775) to ask King George III to intercede with Parliament on the behalf of the colonies, but he ignored it and issued the “PROHIBITORY ACT”(1775) which declared the colonies in open rebellion. Georgia eventually joined the cause.

Question 19

“Common Sense” by Thomas Pain 1776

Answer 19

An emotionally charged pamphlet where Thomas Paine called for immediate independence.

Question 20

American STRENGTHS

Answer 20

(1) outstanding leaders (not generals) like jefferson and washington. (2) european military leaders volunteered to fight with americans (ex. lafayette of france and von steuben of prussia)
(3) americans fought a defensive war so they just needed to win enough so they were not defeated. no need to conquer or control territory or people
(4) strong believers in their cause
(5) france eventually moved form secret indirect supporters to public and direct supporters

Question 21

American WEAKNESSES

Answer 21

(1) politically and militarily colonies were poorly organized and lacked unity.
(2) colonists had a hard time financing war. they had little gold and silver and few wealthy americans wanted to buy war bonds. european nations at first reluctant to support this “lost cause”
(3) colonial soldiers were very unreliable, lacked discipline and military organization.

Question 22

British STRENGTHS

Answer 22

(1) more ppl and wealth
(2) had more powerful professional army and navy and the ability to hire mercenaries if they wanted
(3) due to gov. dunmore’s proclamation guaranteeing freedom for any black man who fought with the british, most slaves who were able to get free fought on the british side.
(4) most n.a. tribes supported the british b/c saw colonists as land hungry and wanting to expand west
(5) 20-30% of colonists remained loyal to england and fought for british

Question 23

British WEAKNESSES

Answer 23

(1) british thought the war would be like those with the irish and french where things would be done with rules and honorably
(2) brit govn’t was confused and inept much of the time.
(3) lots of englishmen didn’t support war against other englishmen
(4) pro-war tories and anti- war whigs fought each other within the british govn’t thus creating the highest levels of disunity in brit leadership
(5) arrogance in thinking they could so easily defeat the americans. were not very aggressive. they should have been more aggressive following their victories with relentless pressure rather than waiting for colonists to surrender, brits would have won the war in 1778 before french entered the war
(6) had to fight an offensive war; had to conquer the rebellion by defeating the enemy and holding territory. it had to conquer america completely to win the war and fought too passively to do so