George Grenville

#History: A Journal of Student Research Volume 1 Article 4 12-2016 George Grenville Caleb Follmer The College at Brockport Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/hashtaghistory Part of the European History Commons, Political History Commons, and the United States History Commons Repository Citation Follmer, Caleb (2016) "George Grenville," #History: A Journal of Student Research: Vol. 1 , Article 4. Available at: http://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/hashtaghistory/vol1/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @Brockport. It has been accepted for inclusion in #History: A Journal of Student Research by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @Brockport. For more information, please contact . GEORGE GRENVILLE Caleb Follmer, The College at Brockport Abstract British Prime Minister George Grenville is frequently misunderstood. Unlike his predecessors, he sought compromise with the British colonies in North America, did not abuse the power and influence granted to him by him appointment, and did not award himself lavish gifts and a high salary under the guise of financial responsibility. Grenville actively sought to consolidate Britain's debt through his unwavering work ethic and honest business ideas. He also worked to find a new way to govern and control the British North American colonies. Left in debt by the costly Seven Years War, Britain expected her colonies to pay for the war waged for their benefit. At the same time that Britain passed new taxes, the colonies suffered a severe economic depression. Thus British attempts at debt reconciliation left the colonists hostile towards Grenville and Great Britain, who they perceived as ignoring their financial plight. Grenville heard their complaints and concerns, understood they felt threatened by British lawmakers enacting a direct tax in their country, and offered them the chance to tax themselves. When the colonists failed to provide a new system, he fell back on his original taxation plan created through Parliament. [Keywords: American colonies, Britain, American Revolution, salutary neglect, taxation] Often vilified by the American Revolutionary effort, Prime Minister George Grenville became a lightening rod for misguided colonial anger. Frustrated with what they saw as unjust taxation, colonists called for an end to the Sugar and Stamp Acts that Grenville conceived. As tensions rose and tempers flared, Grenville found himself stuck between an unsympathetic king and colonists who complained of taxation without representation. When Grenville entered the office of Prime Minister in 1763, two major problems awaited him: the hemorrhaging debt from defending the British colonies in the Seven Years War, and the question of how to govern the territories added to the empire by the Treaty of Paris. First, Grenville saw the need to stop the illegal trade that had arisen between the colonies and the French during the war and began a series of political reformations in the colonies that severely punished those caught trading with the French. New tax acts followed, the purpose of which was to consolidate the accumulated debt, create new revenue for the British, and to cover the cost of the British Army in America. Colonists at first met the new regulations with mild forms of resistance, but generally complied. As time went on, colonial resistance became louder and more sophisticated. Follmer, Caleb. “George Grenville,” #History: A Journal of Student Research, n. 1 (December 2016). Brockport, NY: Department of History, The College at Brockport, S.U.N.Y.: 46-56. #History A Journal of Student Research, Number 1 When the Stamp Act passed in 1765, the situation reached its boiling point, and groans of frustration evolved into active resistance. A clash resulted between colonial desire to return to a policy of salutary neglect and Britain’s determination to balance her budget and return her colonies to their subservient role. Grenville showed a desire to listen to colonial concerns about an intrusive Britain in a time period where many colonists felt they were not being represented or heard in British government. Parliament did not approve, arguing that if colonists could influence lawmaking, they ceased to be colonies and would become a completely separate nation. Caught on both sides by the growing instability of the colonial situation and the King's frustration at his personal conduct, Grenville was removed from office only two years after his appointment. How then could someone so willing to listen be so vilified in the eyes of the colonists and their leaders? In order to understand the complicated legacy Grenville left, his life before, during, and after his position in office must be closely examined. A well-educated and motivated young man with close familial ties to politics, his entrance into the life of a career politician was all but predetermined by his parents. Holding a variety of important political roles in varying levels of local and national government, Grenville became known for his business skill with managing and creating money where needed. Britain needed both a fresh take on a new situation with the colonies and an economically-minded man to correct horrendous spending policies. Grenville fit the bill. Grenville's business-first approach with financing led him into the Prime Minister role in 1763 and led to his resignation only two years later. His greatest strength proved to be his greatest weakness. George Grenville was born on October 14th, 1712. He was educated at Eton before entering into college at Christ Church, Oxford. Grenville originally trained to be a lawyer, and succeeded in being called to the bar in 1735.1 With a politically powerful brother (Lord Temple) on one side of him, and an equally politically active brother-in-law (William Pitt) on the other, Grenville soon left the law behind to join his family in politics. Grenville entered Parliament in 1741 as member for Buckingham, a post he held until his death in 1770.2 Both Pitt and Temple saw their relative as a means of garnering more support for their plans and policies. Grenville was smart enough to help push their politicking, but not well-liked enough to pose any threat to their own political careers. Although he was respected by his superiors for his dedication to business and efficiency, his less-than-amiable personality caused his peers and superiors to question his usefulness in higher posts. Grenville's work ethic surprised both himself and his family members, and he excelled early in his political life. In December 1744 he became a lord of the admiralty in the Pelham administration, and three years later in June 1747, Grenville became a lord of the treasury.3 These early posts culminated in his appointment as Treasurer of the Navy in 1754. His legacy at this post included the the Navy Act of 1758, a law which made it easier for sailors of the royal navy (...truncated)