Patriots Before Revolution : The Rise of Party Politics in the British Atlantic, 1714-1763.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Watson, Amy.

Series:

The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History Series

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (345 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, 2025.

Summary:

A new history of the Patriot movement before the American Revolution, tracing its origins to reform movements in British politics The American revolutionaries--George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John and Abigail Adams--called themselves Patriots. But what exactly did it mean to be a Patriot? Historian Amy Watson locates the origins of Patriotism in British politics of the early eighteenth century, showing that the label "Patriot" was first adopted by a network of British politicians with radical ideas about the principles and purpose of the British Empire. The early Patriots' ideological mission was not American independence but, rather, imperial reform: Patriots sought to create a British Empire that was militant, expansionist, confederal, and free. Over the course of the next half century, these British reformers used print media and grassroots mobilization efforts to build an empire-wide political party with adherents in London, Edinburgh, New York City, and the new colony of Georgia. While building this party, the Patriots' advocacy drew Britons into a series of violent political conflicts over taxes and civil liberty, as well as three expansive global wars, the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-48), the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48), and the Seven Years' War (1756-63). Patriot ideas and organizations came to divide Britons on increasingly sharp political lines, laying the groundwork for the revolutionary decades to come.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Acknowledgments

Note on the Text

Introduction

Part One The Transatlantic Rise of Patriotism, 1714-1743

Chapter One England: Constructing a Patriot Organization and Ideology, 1714-1733

Chapter Two Scotland: Reforming the British Union, 1715-1739

Chapter Three New York: Britain's Imperial Constitution and the Free Press, 1731-1740

Chapter Four Georgia: A Patriot Experiment in "Charitable" Imperialism, 1729-1743

Part Two A Patriot Empire at War, 1739-1763

Chapter Five Rule, Britannia! The Wars of Jenkins' Ear and the Austrian Succession, 1739-1748

Chapter Six The Patriot Minister: William Pitt and the Seven Years' War, 1754-1763

Epilogue A Revolutionary Legacy: Patriot Resistance During the Stamp Act

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-300-28379-2

OCLC:

1523374242