FYP outline

This is just a brief description of my fyp. It's basically what I used for the fyp 2 form.

I aim to look at the relationship between Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the build up to the American war of Independence. I will focus on whether the colonies breaking away from Britain was inevitable or if events could have turned out differently.
This study will focus on the policies of the British government and the reaction of the colonies to the laws forced upon them. The project will also look at the influence of other factors that led to the colonies wanting Independence. Those factors range from population size, to the potential of America’s economy and the origins of settlers. Britain’s treatment of Quebec compared to the thirteen colonies is another key issue I will focus on. The difference between America’s origins and rise to Independence compared to colonies, such as Australia and Canada is another topic that I plan to use to show America’s inevitable break away for Independence.
To get a sense of how the build up to war began I will look at political writings of the time and what they can tell us about popular support for independence in the colonies. Newspapers and pamphlets of the time were a key instrument in inciting popular support for the revolution. The effect of the Stamp act and the influence of the press helped encourage anti-British ideas throughout North America.
The first year of the Revolutionary War has been described as a ‘phoney war’ it was not until The Declaration of Independence late in 1776 that it seemed certain American would break away from British rule. I plan to argue that the War for Independence was inevitable but it could have happened at a different time.