British History: 17th and 18th Centuries
Key Events in 17th and 18th Century British History
True or False
- True. Foreign trade already included bank notes.
- False. During the rule of George I, the Parliament had *more* power, and new taxes were set.
- False. The secret ballot did *not* exist during the rule of George III.
- False. Americans were charged taxes as compensation to defend them from the French.
- True. In 1801, the term “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” was already used.
- True. The UK was characterized by social mobility.
- False. The role of women in society did *not* grow stronger, and they did not have equal rights to men.
- False. Arranged weddings happened in *many cultures*, not only in India.
- False/True. The Poor Law did *not* cease to exist entirely, but it was reformed, and children were *not* always forced to work, though child labor was common.
- False. The Church of England did *not* support the workers and unions.
Fill in the Blanks
- The British fought France in two main battles: Blenheim and Malplaquet.
- “The Jewel of the Crown” refers to India.
- Most Irish were Catholics.
- The Scottish traditional skirt, the Kilt, was forbidden during the rule of George III.
- The Clan society migrated to Canada and Australia.
- The Highlands were mainly used for trading cotton and sugar.
- “Mass production” was coined during the early eighteenth century.
- The new fuel to be used was coal.
Short Answer
What is understood as the trade triangle?
British-made knives, swords, and cloth were taken to West Africa and exchanged for slaves. These slaves were then taken to the West Indies, and the ships returned to Britain carrying sugar, which had been grown by the slaves.
What is referred to as the “Boston Tea Party”?
The Boston Tea Party, in 1773, was one of the most famous events leading to open rebellion by the American colonists. It was a protest against British taxation and British monopolies on imports. American colonists, dressed as Native Americans, threw a shipload of tea into the harbor rather than pay tax on it.
What was understood as “clearances”?
The clan chiefs began to realize that money could be made from sheep for the wool trade. They began to push the people off the clan lands and replace them with sheep, a process known as the clearances. The chiefs treated the clan lands as their personal property, and the law supported them, just as it supported the enclosure of common land in England. Between 1790 and 1850, hundreds of thousands of Highlanders lost their old way of life so that their chiefs could make a profit from the land.
Religious Groups
- Puritans: They wanted to purify the British Church of its Catholic traditions.
- Nonconformists: They were Puritans, but in a different historical situation. The King wanted to have all religions working side by side, but these kinds of Puritans were not conformed with the Anglican Church practices.
- Quakers: A Christian group of religious movements -> Religious Society of Friends. Generally united in a belief in the ability of each human being to experientially access “that of God in every person.”
- Methodists: Related denominations of Protestant Christianity, enemies of the Church of England.
True or False
- False. The Stuarts did *not* continue with the good relationship with the Parliament.
- True. The power of the House of Commons increased.
- True. James I believed in the Divine Right of Kings.
- True. During the British Republic period, Christmas and Easter were forbidden.
- True. One of the interests in foreign trade was sugar and slaves.
- False. By the end of the Stuart Period, religion did *not* prevail over science.
Fill in the Blanks
- The British Republic got rid of the King, the House of Lords, and the Anglican Church.
- The Parliament professed the Protestant religion.
- The basis of Britain’s two parliamentary governments is led by two main parties called the “Whigs” and the “Tories”. The former feared absolute monarchy and believed in religious freedom, while the latter supported the Crown, the Church, and the Parliament.
- The Test Act in 1673 states that the King or Queen of the UK must be Anglican.
- Scotland is different from England in the following areas: Enemies, Religion, and Law.
- Britain controlled the entrance to the Mediterranean since it took possession of the Ionian Islands.
- The Royal Society became the place to share news, ideas, and popular culture.
Essay Questions
Why did Charles I dissolve the Parliament?
Charles believed in the Divine Right of Kings and stated, “Parliaments are altogether in my power: As I find the fruits of them good or evil, they are to continue or not to be.” He dissolved Parliament multiple times due to disagreements, particularly over his need for money and the Petition of Right.
Mention two reasons that gave origin to the civil war.
a) The settlement in Ulster (Ireland) b) Irish people, even those who worked for Protestants, were sent away.
Who were the Puritans?
The Puritans were a group of English Reformed Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to “purify” the Church of England from its “Catholic” practices, maintaining that the Church of England was only partially reformed.
Why didn’t the Republic Period turn into a democracy and rather returned to a monarchical regime?
The Republic, under Oliver Cromwell, faced many challenges and ultimately failed to establish a stable democracy. After Cromwell’s death, there was a desire to return to a more familiar system of government, leading to the restoration of the monarchy.
What is understood as the Restoration? Explain in detail.
The term Restoration is used to describe both the actual event by which the monarchy was restored and the period of several years afterward in which a new political settlement was established. It is very often used to cover the whole reign of Charles II (1660–1685) and often the brief reign of his younger brother James II.
Mention three scientific discoveries by that time.
a) Circulation of blood b) Gravity c) The discovery of the geometric movement of stars and planets.
Additional Notes
Henges, sewers, lyre, Norse myths, thatch, wergild, chieftain, thing (open-air meeting/law), barrows (burial mounds), civitas, villa, municipia, southeast most populated, bakers, hillforts, Saint Bede English monk-history, Witan (king’s council), Augustine (sent by Pope Gregory to re-establish Christianity, 1st Archbishop), the Globe.
Reform period with Henry VIII ruled Protestant.
Reformation in Europe: Martin Luther, Calvin.
Magna Carta: By nobles to limit the King’s power.
Act of Settlement/Test Act 1673: King/Queen must be Anglican.
England and Scotland unified by James I (later by Anne).
Wars -> Englishness.
Ionian Islands -> Controlled the Mediterranean.
Royal Society -> Physical place to debate and share ideas.