american revolution
In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, Britain needed a new imperial design, but the situation in America was anything but favorable to change. Long accustomed to a large measure of independence, the colonies were demanding more, not less, freedom, particularly now that the French menace had been eliminated. To put a new system into effect, and to tighten control, Parliament had to contend with colonists trained in self-government and impatient with interference. One of the first things that British attempted was the organization of the interior. The conquest of Canada and of the Ohio Valley necessitated policies that would not alienate the French and Indian inhabitants. But here the Crown came into conflict with the interests of the colonies. Fast increasing in population, and needing more land for settlement, various colonies claimed the right to extend their boundaries as far west as the Mississippi River. The British government, fearing that settlers migrating into the new lands would provoke a series of Indian wars, believed that the lands should be opened to colonists on a more gradual basis. Restricting movement was also a way of ensuring royal control over existing settlements before allowing the formation of new
1765 - On November 1, most daily business and legal transactions in the colonies cease as the Stamp Act goes into effect with nearly all of the colonists refusing to use the stamps. In New York City, violence breaks out as a mob burns the royal governor in effigy, harasses British troops, then loots houses. The American leaders argued that no "imperial" Parliament existed; their only legal relations were with the Crown. He is followed by the arrival of four regiments of British troops. More serious in its repercussions was the new financial policy of the British government, which needed more money to support its growing empire. What began as a harmless snowballing of British soldiers degenerated into a mob attack. After his speech the crowd headed for the waterfront. 1768 - In July, the governor of Massachusetts dissolves the general court after the legislature defies his order to revoke Adams' circular letter. Thus the Crown attempted to sweep away every western land claim of the 13 colonies and to stop westward expansion. Greenville's first action was to order the navy to enforce the Navigation Acts. 1775 - February 1, in Cambridge, Mass. Toward these objectives, he published articles in newspapers and made speeches in town meetings, instigating resolutions that appealed to the colonists' democratic impulses. In September, Massachusetts Governor Gage seizes that colony's arsenal of weapons at Charlestown. " The first, the Boston Port Bill, closed the port of Boston until the tea was paid for -- an action that threatened the very life of the city, for to prevent Boston from having access to the sea meant economic disaster. 1764 - In May, at a town meeting in Boston, James Otis raises the issue of taxation without representation and urges a united response to the recent acts imposed by England.
Common topics in this essay:
Stamp Act,
India Company,
Sugar Act,
Continental Association,
English Parliament,
House Burgesses,
Quebec Act,
Boston Massacre,
Coercive Acts,
Continental Congress,
stamp act,
english parliament,
coercive acts,
east india,
british troops,
east india company,
royal governor,
india company,
british soldiers,
sugar act,
british government,
king george iii,
french indian war,
english parliament passes,
virginia house burgesses,
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Acceptance Essays
