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OVERVIEW: With the
growth of the Empire by mid-century, some people in England and the
colonies realized it was times to reform imperial structures. In fact,
the success of British forces in the French and Indian
War in 1759 made the need for reform even
greater. Chief among their concerns were:
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the need to deal with vast new territories won from France |
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the crushing debt incurred by decades of imperial wars |
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the anomalies of colonial politics and imperial institutions |
There were some wise voices urging new structures of
governance before taking measures to meet the need for more revenue and
more effective enforcement of imperial regulations. Instead,
political conflicts and uninspired leadership in London
in the 1760s worked
against a new vision for the Empire. As Don Cook puts it, a long fuse was
lit at the beginning of that decade. George Grenville's ill-fated ministry
is a fitting symbol of the search for a new policy gone wrong. |
Fateful Decision
to take Canada: For policy it meant an extension of
imperial authority to meet new responsibilities. The mercantile system subjected seaboard
merchants to regulations, because of the new situation
| Two-Fold Problem
| To secure vast territory, especially to deal with the Indian problem |
| To pay for defense of the Empire |
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Shaping a Policy
[Overview
of the emergence of a new policy]
| Growing view in England for reform of administration, for rationalization of imperial
institutions. With the French threat eliminated it seemed the time for reform, to tighten
imperial administration. Some royal governors supported these views. And Benjamin Franklin
believed the imperial structure should be rationalized.
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| Throughout the 18th century there had been an intention and a partial
movement towards centralizing administration. After the war the extension of the trade
laws was part of that movement |
| First Measures: Indicators of a new policy direction
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| Better enforcement by giving the Royal Navy more authority and by
reforming and extending
vice-admiralty courts. In 1767
four vice admiralty courts were
established and an American Board of Commissioners sat in Boston. |
| In the 1760s the executive departments shook off their inertia and the secretary of
state began to play a greater part, taking some of the initiative for colonial affairs
from the Board of Trade. |
| At the same time Parliament began to declare the right to tax the colonies. Thus the
executive and legislature began to act in combination more effectively than ever before to
strengthen the ties between colonies and England in three ways:
| Extending trade laws |
| Better enforcement |
| Shifting some of the tax burden for common expenses to the colonies
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The Post-War Colonial Situation
| Economics: the prosperity of the war years caused by injection of British
currency through the requisition system. Colonial merchants like Hancock made fortunes. In
the 1760s there was economic retraction and recession.
| Merchants had adjusted to dealing with the mercantile regulations were in no mood for
more of them. |
| Growth in debts and liabilities of merchants and planters to British creditors |
|
| Politics:
| Inter-colonial experience of common action against common
danger. The
Albany Plan of Union
was an indication of thinking bred by that experience. |
| Enlargement of the authority of colonial legislatures; they
were strengthened in consciousness of their rights
|
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The Post-War Situation in London: Structure of politics was
stacked against an enlightened and rationalized policy.
| The Crown: Still a powerful political force, although not independent of
Parliament. Since 1688 it was clear what the crown could not do but less clear what
it could do. This vagueness made for a fluid power which could be cultivated by a skillful
and strong personality. But the Hanoverian dynasty did not breed such leaders
| George II had blustered about Parliament but never led it effectively. He was
rather effectively controlled by parliamentary leaders. During his reign (1727-1760) the
top minister in Parliament ran the government. The political system developed by Sir
Robert Walpole under George I continued; Walpole remained in power until 1742.
| After Walpole the Whigs, torn by rival factions, were held
together by the patronage of the Duke of Newcastle |
| The broad based ministry had
Henry Pelham
(1694-1754)
as Prime Minister and William Pitt among others. After Pelham's death his
brother, the Duke of Newcastle, led the ministry. |
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Parliament:
Decade of Political Instability, 1760-1770
| George III, the new king, was determined to run the government differently. It
was the personality of George II that allowed parliamentary leaders to run the government,
not constitutional principle. But neither the
king's personality nor intelligence
matched his determination. As a child he was slow
to learn and and lethargic. The main influence on him in adolescence was
Lord Bute, a Scots nobleman
who was critical of the great Whig leaders who had run the government for so long. Instead
of cultivating the wiles of the politician, George wanted to please his mother and Bute by
transcend factions and to bring a new virtue to politics. The result was a
disastrous decade of wobbling, with ministries coming and going. The Whigs fragmented but
remained a force and for the first time since 1714 Tory influence came into government
with the King's Friends. |
| Parliament & "the King's Friends": When George III
became king Newcastle's coalition ministry was still pursuing the Seven Years War.
In 1757 Pitt had been given the position of Secretary of State to centralize and
administer the war policy and became the real leader of the ministry as he managed the war
brilliantly. But George, favoring Bute, was eager to be rid of the great Whig leaders who
had been in power for so long. He hated Newcastle and Pitt. |
| The First Parliament of George III: 1761-1768
| The Bute Ministry, 1761-1763: In 1761 the King made Bute his Prime
Minister and
George Grenville (relative of Pitt by marriage) the Secretary of State.
When Pitt's desire to declare war on Spain was rejected, he resigned in a huff to the
great relief of the King. It appeared that a new generation of "King's Friends was
easing out the Whig old guard. Still, they managed to undermine Bute's position so
seriously that by 1763 he told the King he wanted to leave the government to settle his
nerves. |
| The
George Grenville Ministry, 1763-April, 1765 |
| The
Marquis of Rockingham
Ministry, April, 1765-July, 66 |
| The Earl of Chatham (William Pitt) Ministry, Aug.,1766-Dec.,1767 |
| The
Duke of Grafton Ministry, Dec. 1767-January, 1770. Charles
Townshend was Chancellor of the Exchequer until his death in 1767. Chatham was Lord Privy
Seal; Lord Hillsborough became the first Colonial Secretary. |
|
| The Second Parliament of George III: May, 1768-June 1774
| Grafton Ministry continues to January, 1770 |
| The Lord North Ministry, January, 1770-March, 1782. With Lord North,
the King's favorite as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, there
was a full Tory ministry.
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| Wilkes & Liberty, 1763 - 1774: Prism for the tensions of the decade.
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John Wilkes & The
North Briton |
| Running with the Fast Set
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The North Briton
#45 (April 23, 1763) &
General Warrants |
| Wilkes' flight to France; expelled from Commons in
absentia; reelection thrown out. Elected twice more and refused seat. Finally Colonel
Luttrell runs against him, loses and yet is declared winner. London in uproar but
Wilkes wanted peace and security. He backed down |
| Later, Lord Mayor of London and MP again.
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| Wilkes' return and sentence to prison for
North Briton #45 and pornography
charges for Essay
on Woman |
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