Lord North: How England's Prime Minister Lost America
- 10 years ago
Lord North: How England's Prime Minister Lost America
The Society of the Cincinnati - Monticello
Lord North, the British Prime Minister at the time of the Revolutionary War, was far from an incompetent leader. His talents and skills even prolonged the war. Before he became Prime Minister, he was a hard liner with regards to policies in America, voting for coercive measures. When he came to power as Prime Minister, he did much to diffuse the tense political climate and provided stability to a government that had recently changed leadership six times. He was remarkably successful; these years were often called the years of quiet. However, Lord North miscalculated when he led legislation that would reduce the duty on tea in America to benefit the East India Tea Company. Americans had been drinking smuggled tea at a cheaper price than the duty tea newly imposed on them. Lord North's policies, starting with the tea tax, united the American colonies in rebellion. When he realized the impact of his polices, he spent much of his administration trying to back track and compromise, looking for solutions. It was usually too little, too late.
The Society of the Cincinnati - Monticello
Lord North, the British Prime Minister at the time of the Revolutionary War, was far from an incompetent leader. His talents and skills even prolonged the war. Before he became Prime Minister, he was a hard liner with regards to policies in America, voting for coercive measures. When he came to power as Prime Minister, he did much to diffuse the tense political climate and provided stability to a government that had recently changed leadership six times. He was remarkably successful; these years were often called the years of quiet. However, Lord North miscalculated when he led legislation that would reduce the duty on tea in America to benefit the East India Tea Company. Americans had been drinking smuggled tea at a cheaper price than the duty tea newly imposed on them. Lord North's policies, starting with the tea tax, united the American colonies in rebellion. When he realized the impact of his polices, he spent much of his administration trying to back track and compromise, looking for solutions. It was usually too little, too late.