Episode 050: Britain Prepares for War

In late 1774, Prime Minister North calls for early elections. This results in a solid majority in favor of getting tough on the colonies. In reaction to the First Continental Congress' call for economic boycotts, Parliament bans all colonial trade with any country other the Britain. It also passes the "Conciliatory Proposition," allowing colonies to raise taxes in whatever form they like, as long as they come up with as much money as Parliament wants. The Ministry informs Gen. Gage that he is not getting reinforcements. He has nearly 4000 regulars, which should be plenty to handle civilian mobs. He needs to go on the offensive and begin taking decisive action against protestors engaged in treasonous activity.   Visit my site at https://blog.AmRevPodcast.com for more text, pictures, maps, and sources on this topic.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices