What Was the Importance of the Wilkes Affair

question 50

Multiple Choice

What was the importance of the Wilkes affair?

• A) It directly caused a movement in Great Britain that was close to identical to the Enlightenment movements taking place on the rest of the European continent.
• B) It resulted in a movement led by a new group known as the Levellers to form a virtually new political order.
• C) It showed that while government officials were concerned about the actions of Enlightenment thinkers, the public largely ignored these thinkers and their message.
• D) It demonstrated that the press had not been established yet and that movements for free speech had not yet begun.
• E) It gave some of the most substantial evidence at the time that the Enlightenment might have political results different from those the absolutist monarchs had intended.

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Definitions:

Republicanism

A political ideology centered around the concept of a republic, where the government's authority comes from the consent of the governed rather than inherited monarchial power.

Assumption of State Debts

The process by which a central government takes on the financial obligations of its smaller constituent units, often to standardize and manage public debt more effectively.

Political Deal

An agreement or compromise made between political parties or leaders, often in legislative contexts.

Potomac River

A major river on the East Coast of the United States, flowing into the Chesapeake Bay, known for its historical significance and as a natural boundary between Maryland and Virginia.