TY  - BOOK
AU  - Cook,Don
TI  - The long fuse: how England lost the American colonies, 1760-1785 
SN  - 9780871135889
U1  - 973.3 23
PY  - 1995///
CY  - New York
PB  - Atlantic Monthly Press
KW  - Politics and Government
KW  - History
KW  - Colonies
KW  - Great Britain, Colonies, America
KW  - United States, History, Revolution, 1775-1783, Causes
KW  - British Colonies
KW  - Amerikaanse Vrijheidsoorlog
KW  - Geschichte 1760-1785
N2  - "We lost the American colonies because we lacked the statesmanship to know the time and the manner of yielding what it is impossible to keep," declared Queen Elizabeth II at the American Independence Bicentennial in Philadelphia on July 6, 1976. In The Long Fuse, Don Cook investigates the American Revolution from the British side, throwing new light on this colorful age and its players. He draws from a multitude of primary sources, including personal correspondence and political memoranda, to show how Britain, at the height of her power but suffering from internal political strife, made one mistake after another, culminating in the loss of her prized colonies. In opposition to King George's American policies were such towering figures as William Pitt, Edmund Burke, and Charles James Fox; their speeches in the House of Commons are some of the best oratory in the English language. But despite their eloquence and forcefulness, they did not have the votes to prevail. In the end, the Americans rebelled as much against an English political state of mind as against the British Army
ER  -