Royal Authority & the Right to Representation Flashcards
All 16 cards in this deck
Give one economic cause of the American Revolution.
Colonists resented paying taxes, particularly to fund the British army, while having no representatives in Parliament in London.
What were the Navigation Acts, and why did American colonists resent them?
British laws saying colonial trade had to go in British ships and some goods could be sold only to Britain, so colonists could not trade freely for better prices.
What was the Boston Tea Party, and when was it?
A protest in December 1773 when colonists threw British tea into Boston harbour, angry at the Tea Act and being taxed without representation.
What was the Boston Massacre of 1770?
British soldiers in Boston fired on a crowd of colonists, killing five; it was used as propaganda against British rule.
Which 1781 battle effectively ended the fighting of the American War of Independence?
The Battle of Yorktown, where American and French forces made the British army under Cornwallis surrender.
Give one long-term significance of the American Revolution.
Its ideas inspired others to fight against authority, such as the French Revolution against Louis XVI.
What system of government did the Americans set up after independence?
A republic with a written constitution (1787), an elected Congress and a President as head of state instead of the British king.
True or false? The American Revolution immediately gave equal rights to women and African Americans.
False. Rights and the vote went mainly to white men, often only those who owned property; women could not vote and slavery continued in many states.
How did the Seven Years' War help cause the American Revolution?
It left Britain with huge debts and troops in America to defend the colonies, so Parliament decided the colonists should help pay through new taxes.
What was the Stamp Act (1765)?
A British tax on printed papers in the colonies, such as newspapers and legal documents. Fierce protests forced its repeal in 1766.
What was the Declaratory Act (1766)?
Passed when the Stamp Act was repealed, it stated that Parliament had full power to make laws for the American colonies in all cases.
How did Britain punish Boston after the Boston Tea Party?
The Coercive ('Intolerable') Acts of 1774 closed Boston harbour until the tea was paid for, which united other colonies behind Massachusetts.
What was the Declaration of Independence?
The statement issued by the thirteen colonies in July 1776 rejecting British rule, claiming that all men are created equal and that people may overthrow a government that abuses their rights.
Who was Thomas Paine?
A radical writer whose pamphlet Common Sense (1776) argued for American independence and sold in huge numbers; he later wrote The Rights of Man.
When did Britain recognise American independence?
In the Treaty of Paris of 1783, two years after the British surrender at Yorktown.
Give one impact of the American Revolution on politics in Britain.
It boosted radicals demanding parliamentary reform at home, since 'no taxation without representation' also applied to most people in Britain, who had no vote.