American Revolution

Slide 1: Introduction

• English Society Structure: Monarchy, Nobility, Common People

• Representation: King, House of Lords, House of Commons

Slide 2: Tudor Dynasty (1500s)

• Monarch’s Independence: Rich kings like Henry VII and Henry VIII

• Limited Parliamentary Power: No restraint on the king

Slide 3: Rise of Bureaucracy

• Challenges from Nobility: Bureaucracy created under Henry VIII, Elizabeth I

• Nobles Eased Out: James I and the vacuum left by nobles

Slide 4: Chaos and Absolutism

• Idea of Kingly Absolutism: Appealing during chaos in the 1500s-1600s

• English Civil Wars: Provocation by Charles I leading to war and execution

Slide 5: The Commonwealth and Restoration

• Brief Republic: Military rule under Cromwell

• Restoration of Monarchy: Charles II learns from father’s mistakes

Slide 6: James and the Glorious Revolution

• James’s Attempt at Absolutism: Fails, leading to the Glorious Revolution

• New Rule: Mary, William of Orange, Anne, and George I

Slide 7: Emergence of Parliamentary Power

• The King’s Theoretical Rule: Army, Church, Sovereign

• Practical Limitations: Veto power, choosing officers

Slide 8: Whigs and Tories

• Two Major Divisions: Tories (king loyalists), Whigs (country party, ideological complexity)

• Whigs’ Political Thinkers: Locke, Harrington, Trenchard, etc.

Slide 9: Hanoverian Kings

• Whig Dominance: Succession of Whig governments

• Whigs as Saviors: Casting themselves positively

Slide 10: Bureaucracy in 1770s

• Major Offices: Prime Minister, Secretaries of State, Military

• Real Power Centers: Prime Minister, Heads of Army, and Navy

Slide 11: American View

• Whigs vs. Americans: Different perspective

• Locke’s State of Nature: Thought experiment in England, real life in America

Slide 12: Intolerable Acts

• Parliament’s Reaction: Horrified by Boston Tea Party

• Punitive Measures: Intolerable Acts, closing port, trials outside Massachusetts, etc.

• Military Governor: Maj. Gen. Thomas Gage