Chapter 7
THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION, 1763–1775
1. Introduction to the Revolutionary Period (pp. 122–123) In the introductory section, the authors state that Americans were “reluctant revolutionaries,” but that their unique conditions and distance from Britain had imbued them with new ideas that made them especially sensitive to threats to their liberties. *** Before reading the rest of the chapter, why do you think that many otherwise contented colonists might have been ready after 1763 to resist Britain’s efforts “to enclose its American colonists more snugly in its grip”?
2. Mercantilism (pp. 123–125) a. Mercantilist theory states that a country’s power is directly proportional to the amount of gold and silver that can be amassed in its treasury. *** How is it that exporting more than one import leads to amassing more bullion in the treasury?
b. *** Under mercantilist theory, how does the colonial role of supplying raw materials to the mother country and buying its finished products contribute to making the mother country rich?
c. List two main features of the Navigation Laws that were passed to implement mercantilist theory.
(1)
(2)
d. From the perspective of the Americans, list two main negative and two main positive aspects of the Navigation Laws.
(1) Negative Aspects:
(2) Positive Aspects:
3. Stamp Tax Uproar (pp. 125–128) a. Why did the British feel justified in beginning to levy taxes on the colonies after 1763, including the new Stamp Tax instituted by Prime Minister ___________?
b. What do you think are the three most significant reasons that Americans objected to the Stamp Tax? *** If you list “Taxation Without Representation,” do you really think they would have been happy to pay the tax if they had had representation in Parliament?
(1)
(2)
(3)
c. What two measures did the colonists take to resist the Stamp Tax which, though the principle of absolute sovereignty was reaffirmed in the ____________ Act, was ultimately repealed in 1766?
(1)
(2)
4. Townshend and Tea (pp. 129–134) a. In 1767, New British Prime Minister Charles ___________ decided to raise colonial revenues another way, by taxing the importation of certain products, most notably tea. The ill-timed Townshend Acts produced an uproar, including the formation by Samuel _________ of Committees of ____________, one of the first efforts to link the colonies together in a common cause, and the famous _________ Tea Party of December 1773. *** Looking at the issues, do you feel that it was the economic impact of these taxes (after all, a large share of what you now pay for gas is actually a tax used by the government to build roads—and no one objects) that bothered the Americans or certain broader principles? What do you think was really bothering the Americans?
5. Continental Congress of 1774 and Bloodshed (pp. 134–135) a. A Continental Congress has just met for the first time in 1774, sent a petition to the King, and agreed on a complete boycott of British goods. *** Can you think of an enlightened response the British Parliament might have made which might have defused the situation and avoided war by giving the colonies a greater degree of home rule while preserving British sovereignty? What might this response have entailed?
b. To exert authority over the area outlying Boston, British troops marched on ____________ and ___________, Massacusetts in May of 17___ where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired.
6. The Power Line-Up (pp. 135–139) As you read the final section, list the major strengths and weaknesses of the two sides who were about to enter a military conflict.
British Americans
(1) Strengths:
(2) Weaknesses:
Chapter 7 term Sheet
The Road to Revolution
Pages 122–123
Republicanism
Radical Whigs
Pages 123–125
Theory of “Mercantilism”
Navigation Law of 1650
“Enumerated” Products
Nullification of Laws (“Royal Veto”)
Pages 125–128
George Grenville
Sugar Act (1764)
Quartering Act (1765)
Stamp Act (1765)
“Taxation Without Representation”
“Virtual Representation”
Stamp Act Congress (1765)
Nonimportation Agreements
Sons of Liberty
Stamp Act Repeal (1766)
Declaratory Act (1766)
Pages 129–134
“Champagne Charley” Townshend
Townshend Acts (1767)
Boston Massacre (1770)
Crispus Attucks
King George III
Lord North
Samuel Adams
Committees of Correspondence (1772)
British East India Company
Gov. Thomas Hutchinson
Boston Tea Party (1773)
Edmund Burke
Repressive/Intolerable Acts (1774)
Boston Port Act
Quebec Act (1774)
Pages 134–135
Continental Congress (1774)
John Adams
Declaration of Rights
The Association
Lexington and Concord (April 1775)
John Hancock
“Minute Men”
Pages 135–139
Hessians
Loyalists
Marquis de Lafayette
