Brinkley, Chapter 4: The Empire in Transition
“Loosening Ties”
“The Struggle for the Continent”
“The New Imperialism”
(12th edition, pp. 101-113)
1. In the years between the Glorious Revolution (1688) and the end of the French and Indian War (1763), a tradition of neglect took hold in Britain’s relations with the American colonies, with Britain exercising increasingly less authority in colonial affairs. Numerous factors contributed to this development. List five of them.
2. What were the framers of the Albany Plan seeing to achieve? Of what significance was the plan? Why was it not accepted by the colonial legislatures?
3. Which factors contributed to increased French involvement in North America?
4. Why, by the middle of the eighteenth century, were the French able to achieve better relations with Indian tribes than the English?
5. Why, by the middle of the eighteenth century, did the Ohio Valley prove to be such a contested region?
6. What developments in the Ohio Valley led to the outbreak of the French and Indian War?
7. During the second stage of the war the British government in London began exercising greater control over British military activities and operations in North America. Which British actions reflect this development?
8. Why did the manner in which Britain organized its war effort in North America prompt resentment among the American colonists?
9. Which territorial changes and exchanges were stipulated by the Peace of Paris of 1763?
10. What effect do you think these territorial changes and exchanges had on the development of American culture and society?
11. What were some of the effects of the war on both Britain and America?
a. Britain
b. America
12. What were the consequences of the war for the Iroquois?
13. In the mid-eighteenth century, in the debate between the mercantilists and the territorialists, what issues were involved?
14. By the early 1760s, leaders of the British government began to assert that only a system of taxation administered by London could meet Britain’s needs. Why did they make this argument?
15. In what ways did George III’s assumption of power in 1760 contribute to England’s difficulties in dealing with her American colonies?
16. What was the purpose of the Proclamation of 1763? What exactly did the British government aim to achieve?
17. Although some Indian tribes were unhappy with the Proclamation of 1763, others supported it. Why was there such a mixed response?
18. Why, from an Indian standpoint, was the Proclamation a failure?
19. In the immediate aftermath of the Peace of Paris (1763), through a series of parliamentary acts the British government attempted to impose greater control on the colonies. In the chart below, for each act explain the explain (1) the provisions or requirements, (2) the aims, and (3) the effects.
Parliamentary act / Provisions or Requirements / Aims or Objectives / Effects or Consequencesa. Sugar Act, 1764:
b. Currency Act, 1764:
c. Stamp Act, 1765:
20. During the 1760s and 1770s, in addition to the growing tensions between the colonies and the mother country, there were conflicts within some of the colonies. Give two examples of these conflicts:
a.
b.
21. What were some of the economic consequences of the policies of the Grenville ministry (April 1763-July 1765)?
22. In what ways did Grenville’s policies run counter to traditional politics in the colonies?