US History Honors Quest

What were the major events that shaped colonial resistance to taxation? What methods of protests did the colonists use? How did Britain respond to these protests?

1. Several acts of taxation shaped the colonial resistance. Sugar Act increased the tax of foreign sugar imports. Quartering Act required certain colonies to feed and supply British troops who were stationed in their respective colonies. The Stamp Act required citizens to pay a tax on all stamps that they bought. The Stamp Act was a major event that caused the colonial citizens to turn against the taxation of Britain. The Stamp Act was eventually repealed; however, it impacted lots of people in lots of different ways. Boston Massacre!!!! 2. The colonists boycotted British goods and created petitions. There were many violent ways of protesting such as tar-and-feathering and were mainly used by vigilante groups like the Sons of Liberty. 3.Grenville, the Prime Minister, order "virtual representation" to stop the protests. This method of "virtual representation" was to have the British members of Parliament vote on the behalf of the colonists without letting the colonists physically vote on anything. This eventually led to Americans denying the Parliament and to start thinking about their own independence.

How did the British victory in the Seven Years war ironically become one of the precipitating causes of the American Revolution?

Both Britain and France wanted to expand their empire. Britain won, but it is ironic because they are now in debt from the war. Which forces them to ask the colonist for more taxes which sparks the revolution.

What were the major features of education, culture, and daily life in the eighteenth century?

Education:The major features of education in the eighteenth century were that education was primarily reserved for boys and many institutions were privately operated. The emphasis was on religion and classical languages, however instruction was poor and independent, creative thinking was discouraged. Culture: Once again, creative thinking was discouraged in the colonies. The culture of the land was very simplistic and did not breed many creative thinkers except for Ben Franklin. We do not become very different from Britain until after World War II. Daily Life: Lastly, daily life was seen as tedious and the labor was extremely tiring and heavy. The diet was extremely bland and monotonous, however the people never struggled to produce these foods. Drinking was a key aspect of life and it happened everywhere.

What was the social and political character of New France, and how did it compare with Britain's North American colonies?

In New France, the government fell under the direct control of the king after companies had failed. This royal regime was almost completely autocratic. The people elected had no representative assemblies. Social life in New France consisted of voyageurs recruiting Indians into the fur business, while Britain killed the Indians. But the Indians were decimated by the white man's diseases. In Europe, Britain liberally subsidized Prussia to fight against the enemy, France. The French waisted strength in this European bloodbath. As a result, they were unable to have an adequate impact of the New World. In New France you have direct rule of the king, and Britain you have representatives.

What were the major demographic and social structures that characterized Britain's eighteenth-century colonies, and how had these structures changed since the early seventeenth-century settlements?

Primarily english people, but a melting pot of different foreign peoples - racial, cultural, and religious diversity Social structure 18th C: openness of the social ladder (except slaves) - Growing economy Social structure 17th C: barriers of mobility on the social ladder - stratification 18th century census - Church members 74% of population. Majority of the population were Protestants, very few Roman Catholics and Jews.

What were the major features of the "New England way of life," and how did religion, family life, and women's roles change in the later seventeenth century?

Religion- Dominated by religion and Churches were the form of government, adopting a democratic process. The church had the ability to kick people out for disagreeing (women were considered a witch if they disagreed with the church. Family Life-strong families, tight knit; migrated together; family was the center of New England life; early marriage; early/great amount of childbearing; family stability was highly looked upon Women's Roles-child raising became their main role/priority/full-time occupation; in the south, the men would die young, leaving the women with not only having the take care of the children/house, but work and make money to provide for the family; they were also given the right to retain their husband's property/estates→ overall creating a bigger economic role for women and giving them more power/rights

What deeply rooted historical factors moved America toward independence from Britain?

Republicanism- a society where the citizen's primary interests were to the common good while their own, selfish interests came second. This type of society's government authority depends on the the citizen's involvement and stability of the society. Radical Whigs - A group of british political commentators who wanted to preserve the liberty and freedom of the American citizens. They opposed the corruption of politics (patronage and bribe) that the monarch had done and warned citizens to watch out for conspiracies and any threats to their rights. There is an ocean in between the two nations Pilgrims were there in the first place in attempt to escape persecution.

How did the social order and ways of life differ between the Southern and Northern colonies?

South- There was a defined hierarchy of wealth and status (number of slaves, who owns the land) Only a few families. Make sure slaves stay because it is extremely profitable. Aristocracy - born into power North- A lot of cities and a lot villages and everyone in the community worked and helped each other out. The churches helped connect everyone -- churches were physically in the middle . (Who gets the land first) Everyone wants to be education, because it became the path to success. Meritocracy - worked for success

What issues and conflicts dominated colonial politics, and how did both formal institutions(legislatures and governors) and informal practices of public opinion affect those issues?

There was also problems with the governors and legislator since some were elected by the king and many of those men were corrupt or did not really know the needs of people in America. -There were official ways for the colonists to fight back and there were unofficial ways, such as committees of correspondence (helped people realize they had a common enemy) Also only white religious, property owning males were allowed to vote, which affected what laws were voted.

Why did the British respond to the Boston Tea Party with the harsh and repressive Intolerable Acts, when all the earlier conflicts had been compromised or dampened down?

The Tea Act, a cause for the Boston Tea Party, allowed the British East India Company to ship it's tea straight to the colonies and skip England. The Parliament thought it was helping the colonies by making the tea cheaper since it shipped directly towards them. The British Parliament was very upset because many members in Parliament were stockholders so the merchants who dumped the tea, were destroying the money that the Parliament members was supposed to receive because now they had no tea to sell. The Tea Act actually made tea cheaper and to do so, they cut out the middleman which were the colonial merchants. The British responded with harsh and repressive Intolerable Acts because before the Boston Tea Party, nothing had happened to the point where war was inevitable, or unavoidable. Parliament, in 1774, decided to pass a series of acts in order to punish Boston specifically for what they did. The Parliament was upset with all the money they just lost, and wanted to severely punish them.

How did the expanding economy of the colonies alter the patterns of social prestige and wealth and introduce greater class divisions?

The social structure was an open structure where most people could climb or fall which differed from the more strict social hierarchy in Great Britain, where everyone was considered to live in the place they were born in. This changed though during the revolutionary period because the merchants and generals were able to gain vast sums of wealth in a short amount of time. The social ladder essentially reached a point where people were no longer able to go from "rags to riches," but were still able to gain some form of improvement in life/wealth. The expansion also created a much larger working class that eventually became divided into an upper middle class, management, and a lower middle class, workers.

Why did Britain seek tighter control and heavier taxation of its North American colonies after 1763, and why did these policies produce such a strong reaction from the colonists?

Until 1763, the navigation acts did not bother the colonists much, mainly due to the fact that they were loosely enforced, in fact Americans were growing rich and gaining monopolies on goods through the mercantile system. However, after the seven years war, Britain was in desperate needs of funds to repay their war debts, so in 1763, prime minister George Grenville ordered to navy to enforce the Navigation Acts. These policies produced strong reactions from the colonists because they felt they were being unfairly taxed without actual/real representation in the British Parliament. Colonists used the phrase "no taxation without representation" as a cry to Britain to stop taxing goods going in and out of America.