Boston Tea Party And Its Impact Flashcards
(14 cards)
1
Q
When was the Boston tea party
A
December 1773
2
Q
Describe the events of the Boston tea party briefly
A
- nov 1773- first cargo ship carrying tea crates entered Boston harbour
- 16th December, 60 sons of liberty disguised as Mohawk NA boarded the ships
- threw 342 tea chests into the Boston harbour, worth £10,000
- huge crowds watched this and began the start of tensions escalating once more
3
Q
What did the Boston tea part lead to?
A
The coercive (intolerable) acts
4
Q
When where the coercive acts
A
1774
5
Q
4 acts in these acts
A
- Boston port act
- Massachusetts government act
- quartering act
- Quebec act
6
Q
Describe the Boston port act
A
Closed alll Boston ports to trade until the destroyed tea had been paid for (punitive measure)
7
Q
How was the Boston port act received?
A
- overwhelmingly negative and united them in opposition against to British rule
- unnecessary punishment- the colonists viewed this as cruel and unwarranted punishment for the Boston tea party
- fuelled opposition to British rule and created sympathy for radicals instead of isolating them
8
Q
What was the Massachusetts government act
A
- governor could appoint and remove most officials
- had to approve town meetings
- effectively removed the colonies independence and placed them under British control
- this undermined the colonists self governance and fuelled resentment against British authority
9
Q
Describe the quartering act
A
- the governor could quarter (house) troops when he saw fit
- imposed issues of invasion of privacy and an imposition of their rights as they were forced to accommodate troops without consent
- may have been seen as a way for British to exert control over the colonies and maintain a standing army in peacetime, fuelling resentment
- further evidence of British tyranny
10
Q
Describe the Quebec act
A
- an attempt to settle the future status of french inhabitants in Canada
- control of french Canada was given to a royal governor appointed by the British- and would govern without an elected assembly
- boundaries extended- to Illinois and Ohio- preventing American expansion
- colonies saw this as an attempt to extend dictatorial power from the crown and to restrict the colonies expansion
- further evidence of British tyranny
11
Q
Economic response to the coercive acts
A
- Boston town meeting asked all the colonies to boycott British goods until the Boston port act was repealed
- not all convinced this was right
- this would likely harm America more than British
- boycotts were difficult to enforce and some merchants had made more money from trade with Britain at the expense of others
- continental congress- non importation of British goods
- unified response in boycott against British goods, highlighting the colonies determination and will against British rule
12
Q
Political response to the coercive acts
A
- continental congress- convened in response to coercive acts, endorsed Suffolk resolves, which declared them null and void etc
- committees of safety
13
Q
Newspapers and pamphlets response to the coercive acts
A
- 1775- 42 colonial newspapers, and all but 2 or 3 were radical
- mostly concerned with defending the rights of colonies
- 1774- Jefferson’s “summary view of the rights of British America”
- encouraged people to believe that parliament had no right to exercise authority over Americans
- openly discussed colonial independence
- john Adam’s- published 12 essays under a pseudonym between 1774-1775 and in one he declared that America is not part of British dominion
14
Q
British reaction to coercive acts
A
- nov 1774- gage recommended the temporary suspension of the coercive acts
- however, neither north nor the king had any intention of backing down- looked weak otherwise
- only sent 4000 troops- failed to appreciate the scale of the military task ahead
- Feb 1775- parliament declared a state of rebellion in MA and limited new englands commerce, extended this to most colonies in April
