American colonies - key facts

1763

Residence of customs officials in America

Sugar Act 1764

Lowered the duty from 6d to 3d, but it would be enforced – average paid had been 1d

Mutiny Act 1765

New York’s refusal led to the New York Restraining Act 1767

Stamp Act 1765

Repealed 1766 with the Declaratory Act

In 1770, there were five towns in the 13 colonies

Boston had 20,000 inhabitants

Britain thought x troops were needed to protect the Colonies. 

10,000

Enfranchisement

50-80% of the adult male population was enfranchised – in Britain it was 10%.

National debt

• Doubled during the 7 Years War from £75m to £133m

• Interest was £4.4m pa with an income of £8m

• Plus colonial administration and defence had risen from £70k in 1748 to £350k in 1763

Townshend Duties 1767

Taxes on imports of lead, glass, paints, wine, china, paper and tea

Boston Massacre 5th March 1770

5 killed

Patriots vs loyalists

• 40-45% patriots

• 20% loyalists

Committees of Correspondence

• By mid-1773 50 Massachusetts towns had their own

• By Feb 1774 every colony except Pennsylvania and North Carolina had their own

1773 Tea Act

Boston Tea Party 16th December - £10,000 of tea destroyed

1774 Coercive/Intolerable Acts 

• Closure of port of Boston from 1 June until tea paid for

• Governor able to appoint and remove most officials - governorship passed from Hutchinson to Gage

• Transfer of murder trials to England

• More powers to military commanders to arrange the quartering of their troops

September 1774 Continental Congress meets 

Became de facto government

April 1775 Lexington and Concord

• General Gage attempted to seize or destroy a military store

• British casualties 273, 72 killed

May 1775 Bunker Hill

• Britain attempted full frontal assault against rebels upon arrival of Howe, Clinton and Burgoyne with a few thousand more troops

• More than 1000 of the 2500 British soldiers were casualties - Americans lost less than half that

• 1/8 of British officers killed in the whole war were killed there

Summer 1775 Continental Congress

• Paper money

• Washington the Commander of the Continental Army

• 6 July Necessity of Taking Up Arms Declaration - disclaimed intention of separation from Britain

• 8 July Olive Branch Petition - appealed to George III to cease hostilities to draw up plan of reconciliation

23 Aug 1775 George III declared all the colonies to be in a state of open rebellion.

Justified patriots’ positions of having no alternative but to consider the formation of a new government - behaving like a tyrant

January 1776 Thomas Paine published ‘Common Sense’

12,000 copies sold

July 1776 Declaration of Independence

Only New York abstained

Articles of Confederation

Approved Nov 1777, ratified 1781

1775 British military strength

8000 troops in North America and 340 ships

Saratoga October 1777

5895 British troops made POWs

France and Spain

• June 1778 France entered the War

• June 1779 Spain

British in North America

• Until 1778, 65% of the British army was in N America

• By 1780 it was 20% as troops defended Britain against a possible invasion

• In 1778 41% of the navy was in American waters – 1780 13%

Yorktown October 1781 

1783 national debt

£232m 

Influence on Ireland

• In 1780 the mercantilist system in Ireland was altered to allow direct trade with the colonies after protest

• 1782 the Irish were granted effective legislative independence after the repeal of the Declaratory Act 1719