Questions: American Revolution

1. Was England within the rights and authority of the Parliament to restrict colonial
settlement west of the Appalachians? Was it politically reasonable or possible?

2. What social, economic or cultural factors allowed the colonists to think they had
the right to move past the Proclamation Line of 1763?

3. In re-organizing the empire, Britain sought to tighten control of colonial trade

through use of the military, an expanded bureaucracy, and new taxes. If this was
within British authority, why did the colonists resist this re-organization and do
you side with the colonists or Parliament?

4. Why was colonial resistance to the Sugar and Currency Acts mild and ineffective
in comparison with its reaction to the Stamp Act?

5. To what extent was the role of the Sons of Liberty effective in causing Parliament
to repeal both the Stamp Act and the Townsend Acts? Was it more effective than
economic boycotts or propaganda?

6. Did British imperial policies reveal cracks and tension amongst the colonies
social classes and in what ways did it manifest itself?

7. James Otis, Daniel Dulany, and John Dickinson wrote pamphlets expounding the
American colonists’ position in regards to Parliament’s efforts in imposing taxes
on their colonies. Explain the gist of their arguments and how effective were
these arguments in organizing resistance to British policies?

8. The American Revolution was prompted more by economic concerns than by

political and ideological ones. Assess the validity of this statement.

9. The American Revolution was led and “managed” by a small colonial elite,
supported by the general colonial population.

10. The American Revolution proved to be an exercise in hypocrisy because

representative government, civil liberties, and equality did not extend to blacks,
slave and free, Indians, women, and the lower socio-economic classes.

11. Was it a prudent move to station 4000 British regulars in Boston in 1768
following the violence of the Stamp Act and the commotion caused by the
passage of the Townsend Acts?

12. Who should shoulder most of the blame for the Boston Massacre: the Bostonians
or the British military?
13. By 1763 were the British colonists in North America so distinct from their
cousins in England that they could consider themselves a separate people with a
unique identity? Why or why not?

14. What factors made Massachusetts the center of rebellious behavior and not
specifically New York, Pennsylvania or South Carolina?

15. “The American Revolution was not about who would rule, but who would rule at
home.” What does this phrase mean and was it true?

16. To what extent were Parliament and the crown justified in passing the Intolerable
Acts?

17. To what extent was the American Revolution caused more by British ineptitude
and mismanagement of the empire than by the colonial desire for independence?

18. The American Revolution was the result of the machinations and designs of a few
discontented radicals and extremists in Virginia and Massachusetts. Do you
agree? Why or why not?

19. In response to the Intolerable Acts, the Continental Congress established The
Association to enforce the total economic boycott of British goods. To what
extent were the tactics used by the Sons of Liberty and The Association to enforce
the boycott consistent with Congress’ protests of the acts?

20. Did the British military make tactical and military blunders that gave the radicals
in Congress the upper hand in debates over independence?

21. What factors played a role as to why many colonists did not renounce their
allegiance to the crown and still considered themselves Englishmen?

22. At what point did the relationship between Parliament and the crown and its
North American colonies deteriorate beyond repair?

23. Given what happened at Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, was the crown
justified in declaring the colonies in rebellion and thus passing the Prohibitory Act
that closed all ports and sending 30, 000 British regulars to North America to
suppress the rebellion?

24. What role did Enlightenment (Locke, Voltaire, Montesquieu) thinking play in the
justification for the rebellion? To what extent was it consistent with colonial
practices and history?