Tyranny Unmasked: The Townshend Acts in Britain, Ireland, and America

The Townsend Acts marked a new radical phase in the crisis that eventually destroyed Britain’s empire. When Parliament enacted the law in 1767, it seemed as though the imperial stresses at the end of the Seven Years’ War could be contained. Just over a year later, occupied Boston was the toast of radical patriots throughout George III’s dominions, and observers began to wonder whether Britain’s days as an imperial power were numbered. University of New Hampshire Professor of History Eliga Gould tells the fascinating story of this transformation - as it appeared to Bostonians and from the standpoint of people on the far shores of the Atlantic. One of four lectures in the series “Lead, Glass, Paper, Tea: The Townshend Acts, Colonial Unrest, and the Occupation of Boston, 1768.” Part of the Lowell Lecture Series presented by the Paul Revere Memorial Association at Old South Meeting House. Image: Presentation Slide