You're listening to an airwave media podcast. Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution.

Today episode 50 Britain prepares for war.

Over the summer and fall of 1774,

Prime Minister North's ministry watched the coercive acts,

unite the colonies,

and bring at least Massachusetts into an open state of rebellion.

It seemed clear to everyone that one way or another open war would begin in the spring.

As colonial discontent grew, North decided it was time to hold a general election in Britain.

Under the law at the time, Parliament can sit for up to seven years without an election. The most

recent one had been six years earlier in 1768. The king could dissolve

parliament at any time and usually relied on the prime minister for advice on when to do so.

North decided it would be better to get the election out of the way before a shooting war began in the colonies.

Holding elections a year early would also catch the opposition off-guard and hopefully give

North Story allies an advantage at the polls.

Now elections in this era were far different than we think of elections today.

For starters, only adult male property owners could vote.

In 18th century Britain, before the rise of the middle class,

very few people actually owned real property.

Almost everyone rented their home and land from a local lord.

Records are sketchy but probably only about 5% of the population had the right to vote in elections.

Before that 5%, another important consideration

was the fact that the private ballot did not exist.

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