KING GEORGE III AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION By

KING GEORGE III AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION By: Eliza Kassebaum

THESIS King George III’s actions in the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War were not those of a greedy tyrant; they were the actions of a loyal patriot who had to rely on his limited experience as a King and the political expertise of his ministers in order to make difficult decisions that would have lasting consequences for Great Britain, America, and the world. Ramsay, Allen. King George III, 1738 -1820. Purchased 1888. Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Edinburgh, Scotland

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS v. British politicians always believed Parliament was the law of the land over all British subjects and could enact taxes and regulations without consulting the colonies v. After the Seven Years War, Britain needed money to support a growing militia in North America and to cover the expense of the Seven Years War v. Taxing the colonies was the easiest solution v. Though Great Britain lost the American colonies, they would eventually form a strong alliance that survives today

MOST IMPORTANT PRIMARY SOURCES v. George’s handwritten note in his first speech to Parliament, “I glory in the name of Britain. ” v. The Correspondence of King George the Third: From 1760 to December 1783 written by Sir Jon Fortescue v. The Declaration of Independence v“The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. ”

THE POWER OF MEDIA A popular political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin in his newspaper the Pennsylvania Gazette in order to encourage the colonies to unify in order to fight the invasion of the French

SIGNIFICANCE TO THE BRITISH MONARCHY v. Although constitutional monarchy was the accepted form of government during the reign of King George III, the Declaration of Independence addressed its grievances to the king, not Parliament. v King George may not have directly influenced the outcome of the American Revolution, but he remained an important symbol of tyranny for the American colonists and of patriotism for the British citizens