Hello and welcome to a history of the United States.

Episode 83, Gooch. I know I've been away for a few

weeks, but I'm very excited to announce that a history of the United States is now available in

book form. If you'd like to buy Volume 1 of A History of the United States, you can do so from Amazon. It covers episodes

1 through 60 and is a great way to support the show and I think it's a rather nifty

addition to anyone's bookshelf. Last time out, we brought Virginia to the late 1720s and introduced Governor William Gooch,

as well as some of the initial problems his administration was to face.

This is where I want to begin today.

I mentioned that Virginians were particularly resentful at outside influences in their administration.

They didn't like the superior tone taken by the British. They felt as though their civil rights

were being abused through the power of powerful figures back in the homeland. These feelings

had been going on for a considerable amount of time, following the increased

involvement in colonial matters, following Bacon's rebellion, and were felt during the

administration for Spotwood, but things had changed.

I spoke at the end of the last episode about the rise of Sir Robert Walpole in Britain,

and that he left colonial affairs to the Duke of Newcastle.

Newcastle had a very hands-off approach, which would set the tone for British colonial policy until the Seven Years' War. However, they were still an issue with

merchants. Members of the Virginia Council were frequently appointed because of behind-the-scenes

machinations of British merchants, rather than because of the will of the governor. They also used their influence to use

royal vetoes on acts of the Virginian Assembly, which might affect their own interests. For example,

an act was passed in the colonies, which would build a lighthouse at Cape Henry. This was a very useful idea.

The way to pay for this was a new tax on shipping of a penny per ton of shipping. The merchants of

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