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The Critical Period of American History, 1783-1789 (Classic Reprint)
The Critical Period of American History 17831789 - Classic Reprint Author:John Fiske THE CRITICAL PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY. CHAPTEU I. RESULTS OP TOliKTOWN. The 20th of March, 1782, the day which witnessed the fall of Lord North's ministry, was a day of good omen for men of English race on both sides of the Atlantic. Within two years from this time, the treaty which established the independence of the United States was success... more »fully negotiated at Paris ; and at the same time, as part of the series of events which resulted in the treaty, there went on in England a vapid dissolution and reorganization of parties, which ended in the overwhelming defeat of the king's attempt to make the forms of -the eonstitutijn subservient to his selfish purposes, and established the liberty of the people upon a broader and sounder basis than it had ever occupied before. Great indignation was expressed at the time, and has sometimes been echoed by British historians, over the conduct of those Whigs who never lost an opportunity of expressing their approval of the American revolt. Th
Table of Contents
CONTENTS; CHAPTEE I,; RESULTS OF YOKKTOWN VABE; Fall of Lord North's ministry 1; Sympathy between British Whigs and tlie revolutionary; party in America 2; It weakened the Whig party in England 3; Character of Lord Shelburne 4; Political instability of the Rockingham ministry 5, 6; Obstacles in the way of a treaty of peace 1, 8; Oswald talks with Franklin 9-11; Qrenville has an interview with Vergennes 12; Effects of Rodney's victory 13; Misunderstanding- between Fox and Shelbnrne 14; Fall of the Rockingham ministry 15; Shelburne becomes prime minister 16; Defeat of the Spaniards and French at Gibraltar 17; French policy opposed to American interests 18; The valley of the Mississippi; Aranda's prophecy 19; The Newfoundland fisheries 20; Jay detects the schemes of Vergennes 21; And sends Dr Vaughan to visit Shelburne 22 John Adams arrives in Paris and joins with Jay in insisting; upon a separate negotiation with En« less