Causes of the Revolution

1. Causes of the Revolution Ms. Ramos Alta Loma High School

2. 1a. What kind of “advance” or adjustment might the British have made to halt the escalation of the colonial rebellion? • A commonwealth status with EQUALITY within the empire

3. 1b. What kind of retreat would the colonists have had to make to be acceptable to Britain? • Accept taxation and a status short of independence

4. 2. How does the information in Handout 38 help to explain the lack of meaningful compromise between Britain and the colonies in the years between 1763 and 1776? • Each side viewed every event from their own perspective without considering the wants and needs of the other.

5. 3. Was the dominant concern of the colonists economic or political? Explain your answer. • Political: explicit subordination in the Declaratory Act, implicit in the Stamp Act & others without representation • Economic: British intention to keep colonies in an economic subordinate position as intolerable

6. 4a. What role did inept British officials play in producing wide-based support for independence in the colonies? • Officials created antagonism by altering traditional relations btwn Britain and the colonies w/o regard for colonial wants and needs.

7. 4b. What role did dedicated radicals play in producing wide-based support for independence in the colonies? • They galvanized mass support by propagandizing examples of purported British tyranny, such as the Boston Massacre and Intolerable Acts.

8. 4c. What role did responsible moderates play in producing wide-based support for independence in the colonies? • Before they supported the independence, they used a series of legal and nonviolent protests to change British views.

9. 5a. How did the timing of new regulations affect relations between the mother country and the colonies? • The fast succession gave colonists little time to adjust to new expectations. • New regulations came when colonists felt most secure from foreign threats.

10. 5b. How did distance and lack of an easy means of communication affect relations between the mother country and the colonies? • Created difficulties for both sides in understanding the viewpoint of the other side.

11. 5c. How did the repeals of the Stamp Act and most Townshend duties affect relations between the mother country and the colonies? • Gave the colonists a sense that they had gained the upper hand and had forced a British retreat.

12. 6. Write a one-two sentence thesis on the causes of the American Revolution. • Should include: • Impact of British administrative errors of judgment • Political and economic grievances