'An Englishman and a servant of the publick'. Major-General Thomas Gage, 1763-1775

Struan, Andrew David (2006) 'An Englishman and a servant of the publick'. Major-General Thomas Gage, 1763-1775. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the role of Major-General Thomas Gage during his time as Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces in North America from 1763 to 1775. Using Gage's official and private correspondence to the Secretaries of State, the thesis examines Gage's management of Native American and foreign affairs; his position and influence during the Anglo-American Crises of the 1760s and 70s; his political role and influence upon imperial policy of the time; and, lastly, his conduct while Governor of Massachusetts during the descent to open warfare between Britain and the American Colonies. The main focus of this study is to examine the impact Gage - as the highest military appointee and, arguably, the central political figure in the colonies - had on the American Revolution. By examining the information, opinions and ideas Gage transmitted to officials in London, the work aims to discover exactly how Gage shaped official British thinking towards the Americas. Furthermore, the work will also study Gage's other impact on the management of the Indian populations and the Spanish and French settlers and colonies in the Americas. This thesis builds on the works of Clarence E. Carter and John R. Alden who, in the 1930s and 40s, published a collection of Gage's correspondence and the only full biography of Gage respectively. It will examine Alden's conclusions to decide whether, over fifty years later, our opinions of Major-General Thomas Gage need to be re-evaluated.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Additional Information: Adviser: Dr. L. Glassey
• Keywords: Biographies, Military history, American history.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain; E History America > E151 United States (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Supervisor's Name: Supervisor, not known
• Date of Award: 2006
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2006-71053
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 10 May 2019 10:49
• Last Modified: 20 May 2021 18:59
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/71053