American colonies flashcards

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How many troops did Britain station in Boston in 1768?
600 troops
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What was the Boston Massacre?
On 5th March 1770, British redcoats fired into a crowd of protesting Bostonians, killing five, including Crispus Attucks
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Why had many of the early colonists left Britain?
Religious freedom and to make a new life for themselves
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What religion were the majority of the colonists?
Protestants
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What did he vast majority of men work in?
The majority of white men farmed and owned their own land, while skilled tradesmen could make a better living in North America than in Europe
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Where did colonists' loyalties lie?
With their local communities and churches, not the British Crown
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How did colonial politics work?
Each colony was governed by a governor appointed by the British Crown and a Leg. Assembly
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What were the assemblies responsible for?
Money bills and controlling expenditure
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How many people could vote in Lower House elections?
50%, sometimes as much as 80% of the adult male population
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How many could vote in Britain?
Just 1 in 10 of the adult male population
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What issues did colonial democracy face?
Women and slaves couldn't vote, and colonial elites were commonly elected based on their social standing
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What powers were given to colonial assemblies?
Local legislation, raising revenue for local services.
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What early role did the colonial assemblies play?
They provided a focus for discussion and reaction to the British taxes
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How was the Tea Act 1764 protested?
Colonial assemblies sent representatives to London, petitioning against new taxation and beginning to consult and work together
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Why was it easier for the British to ignore the issues in the American colonies?
The colonial assemblies were local rather than national, making it easier to ignore them
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What led to the expansion of British territories in North America?
The victory over the French in the Seven Years' War led to the Canadian colonies gaining land
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What issue did this create?
Britain now had enormous defence and governance costss
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What did the British need to raise money for?
The establishment of a defence force for the American territories, government needed to be provided for the 80,000 citizens, no further expansion
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How large an army did Britain believe that they would require to defend North America?
10,000
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How had Britain financed the war with France?
By raising the national debt
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How large were the annual debt repayments
£4.4 million annually out of a government income of £8 million
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How much did the cost of colonial administration rise by from 1748 to 1763?
£70,000 to £350,000, without the costs of the new army
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How did Britain seek to gain this money?
By taxing the colonists
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How did the colonists react/what did they think was the only proper way to raise money?
Argued it was an exercise in tyranny/through the colonial assemblies
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What philosophical traditions did the colonists use to argue against Britain?
Enlightenment philosophy and the Whig tradition of rebelling against a king who broke his contract with the people
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How did colonial opposition widen?
To oppose King George rather than just British ministers
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What evidence is there of the worsening situation?
Thomas Hutchinson, last non-military governor of Boston, had his house ransacked in 1765, many others suffered tarring and feathering
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What led colonists to conclude that protest was the only way to influence government?
The lack of representation in the British Parliament
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What were the Townshend Duties?
Duties on imports of glass, wine, china, lead, paint, paper and tea.
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How much were they expected to raise annually?
£40,000
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What arguments can be made for the actions of the British?
Ben Franklin and others had acknowledged Parliament's right to regulate trade but not tax internally, argued that they respected this
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However....?
Most colonists didn't trust them
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What was the response to the Townshend Duties?
Massachusetts Assembly denounced them for violating the principle of "no taxation without representation", boycotts, violent protest in Boston
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What happened with the NY Assembly?
Refused to pay to station British troops, suspended as a result
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Why did British military presence increase in Boston?
To ensure the collection of duties and the protection of the American Board of Customs Commissioners
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Who were the Sons of Liberty?
The Bostonian resistance led by Sam Adams
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What three things stalled the road to revolution?
Repeal the hated Townshend Duties, the number of loyalists in the colony, a lack of unity between the colonies
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What issue still remained?
British duties on tea still represented British tyranny, very few legal duties ever paid because of black market tea
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What proportion of the population were loyalists?
"One third" - John Adams, 20% - recent historical survey
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Which groups broadly aligned with each?
Virginian planters, people on the margins of colonial society - Patriots: Southern back-country farmers, Anglicans in New England, Germans and Dutch
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What were the British unwilling to do with regards to slavery?
Make it illegal, as this would destabilise society
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What divisions did the patriots face?
Ethnic, religious, and economic. In Carolina, the Regulator movement rose up against corrupt Tidewater officials
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In September 1771, what did Sam Adams propose the establishment of?
Committees of Correspondence, whose role was to communicate in writing colonial grievances to all the towns in Massachusetts
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By mid-1773, how many towns in Massachusetts had their own committees?
50
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By February 1774, which two colonies were the only ones not to have their own committees?
North Carolina and Pennsylvania
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What was the Tea Act 1773?
Allowed the East India Company to trade directly with the American colonies, rather than the mercantilist policy that it must be traded through British ports
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What issues led to the passing of the 1773 Tea Act?
The near bankruptcy of the EIC, the British had taken £400,000 from the EIC to pay off debt, combined with famine in Bengal = near bankrupt
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How did the Americans react to the Tea Act?
Viewed it as an attempt to illegally tax the colonies, Comm. of Correspondance condemned the act, boycotts and civil disobedience, tea sent back
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What happened on the 16 December 1773
Members of the Sons of Liberty boarded the Eleanor, the Dartmouth and the Beaver and threw tea overboard, 342 chests
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How did the British respond?
The British attempted to isolate Boston, lock down the city and place it under military control
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What was the effect of this?
British underestimated patriot support, drove colonies into rebellion
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What were the 1774 Coercive Acts?
Aimed to isolate Boston and push the colonies into submission
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What were their four main features?
Closed the port in Boston from 1st June until all tea was paid for, transferred murder trials to England so juries would not be lenient, giving more powers to military commanders, allowed the governor to appoint and remove officials
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Who took over from Hutchinson as the governor of Boston?
General Gage
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Were the Coercive Acts successful?
No; the colonial assemblies had to be dissolved but met as the Continental Congress in defiance
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What did the Congress call upon patriots to do?
Called upon Massachusetts to arm for defence
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What happened on 9 February 1775?
Britain declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion
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What did the Earl of Chatham propose?
The removal of all duties from the Americas, including the Sugar Act and recognising the Continental Congress as a parliament
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How many troops did Britain have under General Gage?
4,000; demonstrated that they could not hold down the colonies
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What happened at Lexington and Concord?
Gen. Gage attempted to destroy Patriot munitions, Patriots warned and fired shots, British pushed on but required backup to prevent being wiped out
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Shortly afterwards Boston was besieged by how many members of the colonial militia?
20,000
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What happened at Bunker Hill?
Burgoyne, Howe, Clinton arrive at Bunker Hill, attempt a full frontal assault on the position, lost 1,000 of the 2,500 troops involved, 1/8 of officers
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What happened on 10 May 1775?
The second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and signed the Declaration of Independence
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What important decisions were made in June 1775?
The Continental Congress decided to issue paper money to meet some of the costs of the war and made George Washington the Commander of the Continental Army
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What issues affected the establishment of government?
Took a long time for delegates to come around to the idea of forming a new nation, communication difficult, had to reach a consensus in the Continental Congress
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What emphasised that the colonists did not want to separate from the UK?
The Olive Branch Petition of 8th July 1775
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What did King George do on 23 August 1775?
Declare all the colonies to be in a state of revolt; led colonists to justify revolt as he was behaving like a tyrant
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What was Thomas Paine's Common Sense?
A leaflet arguing that reconciliation was no longer possible and that Americans should look forward to a new and fairer system of government
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How many copies did this sell?
12,000
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What happened on July 2nd, 1776?
12 colonies voted for the Declaration of Independence, with the exception of only one, New York
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What were the Articles of Confederation?
An early constitution; critically it prevented the central executive body holding too much power
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What were the two key principles of the Articles of Confederation?
a) All powers not specifically granted to Congress were reserved by the states b) all states had to agree to any amendment of the constitution
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What were three things Congress could do?
Declare war, borrow and issue paper money, draw up treaties and alliances with foreign powers
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How strong was Britain's military?
48,647 on paper. Only 8,000 in America in 1775.
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How strong was Britain's navy?
340 ships, however Lord Sandwich had to re-equip the navy due to a lack of investment in the 1760s
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What other strenghts did Britain have?
Britain had advanced financial institutions, could increase national debt
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What weaknesses did Britain face?
Supplying troops very difficult, Britain's defeats at Saratoga and Yorktown were both the result of divided forces, elongated supply lines and delayed relief efforts
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What were the issues with Britain's generals?
Suffered from a lack of direction from London, their plan involved chasing and destroying the Continental Army, however this could reform and they couldn't win
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What was the Americans' greatest strength?
The ideal of a democratic state drew many people to join the patriots, neutrals could not be convinced to join the British
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What geographical strength did the Americans have?
The terrain and climate were familiar to the Americans, while the British struggled
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What were the pinnacles of Washington's leadership?
He was responsible for the formation of the Continental Army as he realised that the British would not be defeated by guerilla fighting
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What were some examples of Washington's strengths?
Benefitted from Congressional support, increased Army's professionalism, aided by militia's ability to control parts of the country not occupied by the British
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What weaknesses did the new American nation face?
Reliant on the issuing of paper money as Congress had no ability to levy taxes, caused inflation, Americans were short of weapons
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When did British defeats occur?
British defeats occurred when they overstretched their supply lines or lost control of naval waters
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What happened at Saratoga?
The first British defeat of the war, Burgoyne negotiated surrender with Gates and did so on 17 October 1777
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What issues faced Burgoyne's plan?
Burgoyne's overconfidence, enormous baggage train including 30 vehicles for his wardrobe and champagne
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What was the main issue facing Burgoyne's plan?
A lack of coordination with General Clinton and General Howe
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What motivated the French to enter the war?
The fact that the patriots had been successful over the British at Saratoga, hopes to regain territory lost in the Seven Years' War, competition with Britain
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When did France and Spain enter the war?
June 1778 (France); June 1779 (Spain)
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Why did this prove decisive in colonial victory?
Opened the conflict on many fronts, for the British defeat of the French became more important than holding on to the colonies
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In 1778, how much of the British Army and navy was in N. America, compared to 1780?
65% of the army in N. America (1778), 20% (1780) while 41% of the navy (1778), 17% (1780)
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How did the French fleet help the Patriots at Yorktown?
10,000 largely inactive French troops, formed part of the attacking force at Yorktown
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What was the significance of Yorktown?
Britain was mobilised against invasion, held its possessions in the West Indies, increased presence in India, loss of American colonies came to be seen as acceptable
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What led to British defeat at Yorktown?
Washington leading an Army of 16,000 American and French troops into the Yorktown Peninsula and lay siege to the British for three weeks
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What issues did the British face at Yorktown?
They could conquer land, but couldn't ensure loyalty of the population: Britain needed to ensure its supply lines were kept open
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Why did Yorktown end in disaster?
Cornwallis had to split the Southern campaign, fighting it with just 4,000 men, forcing the British to split their forces and weaken their attacking army
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When did Clinton's relief force arrive?
5 September
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What happened to the political will?
It collapsed, City of London and Parliament put pressure on the King to end the war
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What was the impact of the French on political will?
Changed defence priorities, did not want to start a world war. Prepared to accept loss of the colonies.
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When did the British resolve to end the war?
February 1782, with over 30,000 troops in N. America
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What terms were included on the Peace of Paris?
Recognised American independence, division of imperial possessions between Britain, France and Spain
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What was the cost of the war to the British?
In 1783, national debt was £232 million
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What other disruption had the war caused to Britain?
Disruption of trade caused pressure by the City of London, French entry re-drew British priorities
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What (miraculously) remained in Britain?
No revolution, political power remained in the hands of the landed gentry and the monarchy
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What evidence was there in Ireland that Britain had learned some lessons from the war?
In 1780, the British altered the mercantilist system in Ireland, allowed Ireland to trade directly with the colonies.
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In Ireland, what was the repeal of the Declaratory Act 1719?
Granted the Irish effective legislative independence in 1782.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What was the Boston Massacre?

Back

On 5th March 1770, British redcoats fired into a crowd of protesting Bostonians, killing five, including Crispus Attucks

Card 3

Front

Why had many of the early colonists left Britain?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What religion were the majority of the colonists?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did he vast majority of men work in?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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