United States History 17A
Study Guide 3

 
Assignments Page
Learn more about this picture
           and answer a few questions

 
Previous or Next Study Guide
Today in United States History

 

 
 
 
 
 

Study Guide 3
Nation of Nations
Chapter Six
Toward the War for American Independence 
Answer the following questions:
The first three questions can be found by clicking on the link above, 'Learn more about this picture'.
I. The Seven Years' War
In order to control the vast untapped economic resources of North America, the European powers fought a series of wars in the 18th century, (1700 - 1800). The last of these was the Seven Years' War from 1754 - 1763.
4. Who fought whom in the Seven Years' War?  What territory was aquired by Britain and Spain in the Treaty of Paris in 1763?
II. The Imperial Crisis
5. As a result of the costly Seven Years' War, what three things did Britain believe its North American territory needed?  That conclusion dictated Britain's decision to ___ ?
6. What was the Proclamation of 1763?  For what 2 reasons was it issued?
7. What 2 financial problems did Britain face after the Seven Years' War?  Why couldn't British taxpayers shoulder these costs?  By contrast, how much were Americans taxed?
8. Why was the British income from the trade duties (or import taxes) slimmer than it might have been?
9. In the few years before 1775, how did land-hungry colonials get out west of the Appalachian Mountains?   Who became famous by leading the first party of pioneers through it in 1775?
10. What was the Molasses Act of 1733? Why had Parliament passed this law?
11. Why did the New England merchants say they had to, regrettably, smuggle in molasses from the French and Dutch sugar islands?
The Sugar Act of 1764 was an attempt by Parliament to end this illegal trade in molasses from the Dutch and French sugar islands and to channel it into trade with the British sugar islands, and get more revenue in the process.
12. How much was the import duty (tax) under the Sugar Act? Was this higher or lower than the duty levied under the Molasses Act?  Why did Grenville believe that this new duty would bring in MORE revenue?
13. How would violators of the Sugar Act be tried?  What were Admiralty Courts?
Please go to the site, Historiography of the American Revolution and answer the questions there.
19. What was the Currency Act?  How did Britain save money from the Currency Act?
20. What was the Quartering Act? How did this help the British save money?
21. What items were affected by the Stamp Act? How would violators of the Stamp Act be dealt with?
22. Colonial Americans believed, along with John Locke, that property guaranteed ____?
23. For colonial Americans, what was the main responsibility of government?
24. It followed from this that no people should be ___ , because the power to tax was ___ ?
25. What other customary right was being violated by the Sugar and Stamp Acts?
26. In sum, Grenville's new measures led some colonials to suspect that ambitious men ruling England might be ___?  At the very least, the new measures implied that ___ .
27. What were the Virginia Resolves against the Stamp Act? Who introduced them?
28. In October 1765, delegates from nine colonies convened in New York and petitioned the king and Parliament to ___ ?
29. How did merchants in Boston, New York and Philadelphia pressure Parliament to repeal these taxing measures?
30. Who were the 'Sons of Liberty'? Who made up the leadership in the Sons of Liberty?
31. Whom did the Sons of Liberty organize in the seaports in opposition to the Stamp Act?
32. What did these mobs of people do?
33. Why were the Sons of Liberty stunned by a mob's destruction of the stately mansion of Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson of Masssachusetts?
34. For what 2 reasons was the Stamp Act repealed?
35. Grenville and his supporters tried to counter Americans' objections to taxation without representation by advancing the theory of 'virtual representation'. What was this theory of 'virtual representation'?
36. What five items were taxed under the Townshend Acts?  How did Townshend assure more effective enforcement of these taxes? How were these new officials to be paid?
37. In what 2 ways did the Customs Officials antagonize American, and especially Boston's, merchants?
Please read the selection, Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania.
Answer the following questions based on this reading:
38. What should be the response of the people to governments that undertake wrong measures? What if the peoples' petitions are disregarded?  When is open resistance justified?
39. Which modes of obtaining relief does the farmer recommend?
40. Why is resistance to the mother country different from resistance to a king?
41. What occurred in June, 1768, after customs officials seized and condemned the 'Liberty'? How did Lord Hillsborough respond to this?
42. What did most colonial legislatures do in response to the 'Liberty Riot' and the arrival of British troops in Boston?
43. What was the general purpose of the 'Committees of Inspection'? In what 4 ways did the Committees of Inspection act?
44. How were the British troops regularly treated in Boston?
45. Why were Britain's troops particularly unpopular with Boston's laboring classes?
46. In what 3 ways did the 'Daughters of Liberty' support the resistance?
47. What happened on the night of March 5, 1770?
48. When the Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770, which was the only one that remained? Why?
49. Why were the Townshend Acts repealed?
Please read the selection: Rules By Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One. After you have read this selection, answer the following question:
50. What advice does Franklin give to British ministers about listening to the friends of the people?  What advice does he give about redressing grievances?
 

 
Assignments Page

 
Revised January 25, 2008

by Tom Gallup, e-mail address: [email protected]
West Valley College
http://www.westvalley.edu/wvc/ss/gallup/gallup.html