The Persistence of Empire

British Political Culture in the Age of the American Revolution

By: Eliga H. Gould

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Paperback | 6 March 2000

At a Glance

Paperback
288 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.65

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The American Revolution was the longest colonial war in modern British history and Britain's most humiliating defeat as an imperial power. In this lively, concise book, Eliga Gould examines an important yet surprisingly understudied aspect of the conflict: the British public's predominantly loyal response to its government's actions in North America.

Gould attributes British support for George III's American policies to a combination of factors, including growing isolationism in regard to the European continent and a burgeoning sense of the colonies as integral parts of a greater British nation. Most important, he argues, the British public accepted such ill-conceived projects as the Stamp Act because theirs was a sedentary, "armchair" patriotism based on paying others to fight their battles for them. This system of military finance made Parliament's attempt to tax the American colonists look unexceptional to most Britons and left the metropolitan public free to embrace imperial projects of all sorts--including those that ultimately drove the colonists to rebel.

Drawing on nearly one thousand political pamphlets as well as on broadsides, private memoirs, and popular cartoons, Gould offers revealing insights into eighteenth-century British political culture and a refreshing account of what the Revolution meant to people on both sides of the Atlantic.

Industry Reviews

This is a thought-provoking book, its argument consistently developed in sophisticated and engaging terms and presented with lucidity and grace."Reviews in American History" A well-researched, closely argued account of the impact of the American Revolution on British political culture."International History Review" ï¿½Aï¿½ nicely written and articulate study."Historian" "This is a thought-provoking book, its argument consistently developed in sophisticated and engaging terms and presented with lucidity and grace."Reviews in American History"" Gould has made a substantial contribution not only to imperial and Atlantic histories but also to the study of Britishness."Journal of American History" "A well-researched, closely argued account of the impact of the American Revolution on British political culture."International History Review"" An impressively well-documented analysis of the empire from an English perspective. "William and Mary Quarterly" [A] nicely written and articulate study."Historian"

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction History Regional & National History European History British & Irish History History of the Americas Military History American War of Independence Reference, Information & Interdisciplinary Subjects Interdisciplinary Studies General Studies Specific Events & Topics in History

Colonialism & Imperialism National Liberation & Independence Politics & Government Central Government Central Government Policies Earliest Times to Present Day Modern History from 1700 to 1900

Preface	p. vii
List of Maps and Illustrations	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
An Empire of Liberty: Whig Identity in the Reign of George II	p. I
Maintaining the Balance of Power	p. 3
A Matchless Constitution	p. 14
The Liberties of Britain and Europe	p. 30
The Blue Water Vision: British Imperialism and the Seven Years' War	p. 35
"The Sepulchre of British Interest"	p. 38
Oceans, Indians, and Colonists	p. 53
The Legacy of William Pitt	p. 69
Patriotism Established: The Creation of a "National Militia" in England	p. 72
The Power of Popularity	p. 75
The Militia Riots of 1757	p. 83
The Price of Victory	p. 98
The Nation Abroad: The Atlantic Debate over Colonial Taxation	p. 106
The Origins of the Stamp Act (1765)	p. 110
An American Theory of Empire	p. 123
The Plunge of Lemmings	p. 136
The Revolution in British Patriotism: The Friends of Government and the Friends of America	p. 148
Ambivalent Patriots	p. 150
The County Associations (1780)	p. 164
A People above Reproach	p. 179
The Experience of Defeat: The British Legacy of the American Revolution	p. 181
The Limits of Greater Britain	p. 183
"The Isle of Liberty and Peace"	p. 198
A Multiracial Empire	p. 208
Bibliography	p. 215
Index	p. 253
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

The Persistence of Empire

British Political Culture in the Age of the American Revolution

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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