Chapter 4: The Empire in Transition - Practice Flashcards

Question and answer review flashcards based on Chapter 4: The Empire in Transition, covering British policy, imperial wars, and colonial resistance leading up to the American Revolution.

In the years after the Glorious Revolution, to what institution did political power in England increasingly shift?

Parliament

How was England's administration of the American colonies characterized during the first half of the eighteenth century?

It was decentralized and inefficient.

How did royal officials in America affect English governance during the first half of the eighteenth century?

They contributed to England's overall lax control of the colonies.

What major right had American colonial assemblies claimed by the 1750s?

The right to levy taxes.

What did the proposed Albany Plan of 1754 reveal about the American colonies?

It revealed the difficulties colonies had in cooperating with each other.

What was the result of the Seven Years' War in North America for England?

England confirmed its commercial supremacy and increased its political control over the colonies.

Who were the major participants in the Seven Years' War in North America?

The Iroquois, the English, and the French.

How did French relations with Native Americans in North America differ from those of the English during the eighteenth century?

The French were more tolerant of Indian cultures.

What was the most powerful native group in North America during the eighteenth century?

The Iroquois.

With whom did the Iroquois Confederacy maintain trade relationships during the first half of the eighteenth century?

Both France and England at the same time.

What territorial shift occurred as a result of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713?

It transferred territory from the French to the English in North America.

What was the outcome of King George's War regarding European conflicts in North America?

It failed to resolve European conflicts in North America.

What happened to relations among the English, French, and Iroquois in the aftermath of King George's War?

Relations among the English, French, and Iroquois deteriorated.

Near what modern city did the first clash of the French and Indian War take place?

Pittsburgh.

Which future American revolutionary leader surrendered to French forces in 1754 at Fort Necessity?

George Washington.

What was the alignment and role of the Iroquois during the first stage (1754–1756) of the French and Indian War?

They were allied with the English but remained largely passive.

In what regions was the French and Indian War fought?

India, the West Indies, the North American interior, and Europe.

How did British leader William Pitt change his policy toward the colonists during the third phase of the French and Indian War?

He gradually loosened his tight control over the colonists.

Which French defeat marked the beginning of the end of the American phase of the French and Indian War?

The defeat at Quebec.

What were the land transfer terms of the Peace of Paris of 1763?

France ceded Canada and all of its claims to land east of the Mississippi River, except New Orleans, to Great Britain.

What overall impact did the British victory in the French and Indian War have on Native Americans in North America?

It had disastrous effects on their future.

What did the French and Indian War demonstrate to England regarding its authority over the colonies?

It demonstrated that increasing England's control over the colonies would not be easy.

How is King George III described upon assuming the throne of England?

He was painfully immature.

What attitude did British Prime Minister George Grenville hold toward the American colonists?

He believed the American colonists had been indulged for far too long.

Which group supported the Proclamation of 1763?

Many Indian tribal groups.

How did the Grenville ministry increase its authority in the colonies in the 1760s?

By stationing regular British troops permanently in America.

What were the key goals and provisions of the Sugar Act of 1764?

To eliminate the illegal sugar trade among the colonies, French, and West Indies; damage the market for colonial sugar; establish new vice-admiralty courts; and lower the colonial duty on molasses.

What did the Stamp Act of 1765 require colonists to do?

It required colonists to pay taxes on most printed documents.

What specific demand was shared by both the Paxton Boys and the Regulators?

They both demanded tax relief.

What sectors of American society were adversely affected by the Grenville ministry's 1764–1765 legislation?

New England merchants, southern planters, small farmers, and urban workers.

What did colonists believe the Grenville ministry's legislation signified regarding their system of government?

They believed the British were trying to take away their tradition of self-government.

What effect did the Stamp Act of 1765 have on intercolonial relations?

It helped to unite the colonies in opposition to the English government.

Who took the lead in opposing the Stamp Act in Virginia?

Patrick Henry.

What key position was asserted by the 'Virginia Resolves' regarding taxation?

That anyone who supported the right of Parliament to tax was an enemy of the colony.

What happened to British official Thomas Hutchinson during colonial anti-Stamp Act protests?

His home was ransacked by anti-Stamp Act demonstrators.

How did the British government respond in 1766 to colonial protests against the Stamp Act?

It rescinded the Stamp Act.

What was asserted by the Declaratory Act of 1766?

It was a sweeping assertion of Parliament's authority over the colonies.

Why did objecting colonists oppose the Mutiny (or Quartering) Act of 1765?

They regarded it as a form of taxation without consent.

Where were the roots of the 'internal rebellions' involving British colonial tenant farmers located?

In the class system of New England and New York.

What type of transactions did Charles Townshend intend to tax with the Townshend Duties of 1767?

Transactions he believed to be external transactions.

What form did direct colonial protests against the Townshend Duties take?

Colonial nonimportation agreements.

Which British official ended the Townshend Duties in 1770?

Lord North.

How was the Boston Massacre framed by colonial leaders following the event?

It was transformed into a symbol of British oppression.

Who was the leading colonial figure involved in the Boston Massacre?

Samuel Adams.

How did 'country Whigs' in the 1760s view the British government?

They considered the British government to be corrupt and oppressive.

How did supporters of the English constitution believe political power was divided?

Among the monarchy, the aristocracy, and the common people.

What was a defining structural characteristic of the English constitution in the eighteenth century?

It was an unwritten document.

According to the eighteenth-century English theory of representation, were the American colonies represented in Parliament?

Yes, through the concept of virtual representation.

Why were taverns central to the growth of colonial revolutionary sentiment?

They became central meeting places to discuss ideas about resistance.

What were the primary features of the Tea Act of 1773?

It followed a few years of relative calm, lowered the price of tea for colonists, benefited a private British company, and provided no new tax on tea.

Who largely led the colonial boycott of tea in 1773?

Women, who were the primary consumers of tea.

What caused the Boston Tea Party of December 1773 and what did it trigger?

It occurred after Bostonians failed to turn away tea-laden ships, and it triggered acts of resistance in other colonial cities.

How did Parliament react to the Boston Tea Party?

By reducing the powers of self-government in Massachusetts.

What key provision was contained in the Quebec Act?

It granted political rights to Roman Catholics.

What was a major result of the passage of the Coercive Acts for Massachusetts?

Massachusetts became a martyr in the cause of resistance.

What action regarding British legislation was taken by the First Continental Congress in 1774?

It called for the repeal of all oppressive legislation passed since 1763.

How did General Thomas Gage view his military capability around the time of Lexington and Concord?

He considered his army too small to act without reinforcements.

Did the Battles of Lexington and Concord occur before or after the formal American declaration of independence?

They occurred before there was a formal American declaration of independence.