The Road to War
"When did the Civil War begin, and when did it end? Americans say it started later and never ended, but Britons insist it started earlier and ended 2 centuries ago "
View attachment 786350The Civil War's start date remains divided into two distinct camps. Within the United Commonwealth, the preferred dating begins with the attempted arrest of the King and his subsequent decision to publish warrants for the arrest of the known plotters and several other prominent Whig leaders, including the former Prime Minister, the Marquess of Rockingham. At the same time, Historians in the United Provinces use the Battle of Hyde Park as the starting point.
Regardless of which date, the lead-up is generally agreed upon by both factions. In the aftermath of the Seven Year's War, Britain began to abandon the policy of Salutary neglect towards tighter control of the Colonies. Britain had accrued large debts during the war and decided to deploy troops in the colonies to defend them from continued threats from France. Rockingham would begin moving in 1763 to pass a series of new taxation acts aimed at increasing authority in and revenue from the colonies to pay for the gains made during the war and the forces deployed to protect them.
These events may have been allowed to progress unobstructed had it not been for the prominent place of Benjamin Franklin in the King's court and that of several other Americans the former had bought with him. They began to argue that the King had a duty to uphold the rights of his subjects and that to abandon them would be in direct violation of his coronation oath. They convinced the King that under the notion of
Virtual Representation it was, in fact, the King, and the King alone, that should speak for subjects not represented in Parliament. By mixing this notion with his minor absolutist leanings, George began interfering with Parliamentary efforts to tax the Colonies. While he had allowed the Sugar Act 1764 and the Currency Act 1764 to move through unaffected, he took action on the Stamp Act. While the King believed that the Colonies should pay for their defence, he agreed that the act had overstepped and recommended the list of items that would be required to bare the stamp be cut down and, most crucially, that it be paid in British currency, or colonial paper money, not only the former. While then Prime Minister Rockingham had been somewhat surprised by the King's action, he elected to follow the suggestions, though many within his party were outraged at the changes. This would prove to be only the start, and as Colonial opposition grew to Parliamentary acts increased, so did the popularity of the King, whose actions in their defence were widely reported on throughout the Colonies. A clear distinction emerged between the King who sought to aid them and a Parliament that embraced tyranny. The apex of these interventions came with the King's outright rejection of the Massachusetts Government Act, attempting to deal with the growing rebellion of the Colonies. The King reportedly didn't even give a reason for his actions, simply refusing his ascent and returning to an event he was hosting. Attended by Americans who welcomed the King as a hero.
When word reached the Whig leadership, they decided enough was enough and began to make moves to remove the King. After all, at this stage, it seemed clear the man was now following the advice of the colonists over his Government. This seemed to be merely an effort to take absolute power through covert means for the Whigs. A plan was hatched by the so-called "22", including Edmund Burke. Despite his support for Monarchy and sympathy for the American cause, he believed the King had gone too far in ignoring the advice of Parliament over the past decade and more.
The exact circumstances of the Storming of the Palace remain mirky. Even the term itself is falling out of use, as far from being a hero attack on the centre of tyranny as Whig leaders sold the event to the public, it was a half dozen men and a few loyal soldiers who informed the King he was to be removed in a park, and attempted to arrest him, only to be stopped by his guards whose loyalty had been misinterpreted. Though the men involved fled, the King quickly ordered their arrest for High Treason.
The Whig-dominated Parliament shielded the men, an act that incensed the King, who soon removed William Pitt as Prime Minister and appointed Lord North to form a new Government to confront the threat. Parliament outright rejected North as Prime Minister and forced the man to move his offices elsewhere, with North eventually setting up in St James's Palace at the offer of the King. Both sides would begin rallying forces to curtail the other, and fighting broke out in Hyde Park 14 days after the arrest attempt. And with that, the war started, spreading out across the country from the capital soon after. The colonies burst into chaos soon as word reached them about what was happening, and certain Governors and military officials backed Parliament. Already on the verge of war, the colonial elite threw their all in with the King.
And when the dust had settled, 300,000 men were dead.