Editing War of Jenkins' Ear (section)

==Background==
While the conflict is often portrayed as a trade dispute, modern historians argue Spanish concerns over British colonial expansion in [[North America]] were equally important.{{sfn|Franklin|2011|p=85}} They also suggest a decisive factor in the path to war was the campaign by the [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]] opposition, who sought to remove the [[Whigs (British political party)|Whig]] government led by [[Robert Walpole]], [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] since 1721.{{sfn|James|2001|p=61}}

The 1713 [[Treaty of Utrecht]] gave British merchants access to markets in Spanish America, including the {{lang|es|[[Asiento de Negros]]}}, a monopoly to supply 5,000 slaves a year. Another was the {{lang|es|Navio de Permiso}}, permitting two ships a year to sell 500 tons of goods each in [[Portobelo, Colón|Porto Bello]] in [[Panama]], and [[Veracruz (city)|Veracruz]] in [[Mexico]].{{sfn|Browning|1993|p=21}} Both concessions were held by the [[South Sea Company]], owned by the British government since 1720,{{sfn|Ibañez|2008|p=16}} although their value was insignificant compared to the trade between Britain and mainland Spain.{{sfn|McLachlan|1940|p=6}} 

The {{lang|es|asiento}} itself has been described as a 'commercial illusion', with only eight ships in total sent from Britain between 1718 and 1733.{{sfn|Anderson|1976|p=293}} Even for these, their primary purpose was to transport consumer goods that evaded customs duties.{{sfn|Richmond|1920|p=2}} High tariffs on imported goods, combined with demand from local colonists, made smuggling too lucrative to be stopped. The Spanish therefore tried to either manage the illegal trade, or use it as an instrument of policy. During the [[Anglo-Spanish War (1727–1729)]], French ships were allowed through but British ones stopped, a policy reversed when Britain backed Spain in the 1733 to 1735 [[War of the Polish Succession]].{{sfn|McLachlan|1940|pp=91–93}}

[[File:gacolony.png|thumb|left|upright=1.0|The establishment of [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]] in 1733 raised tensions by threatening Spanish possessions in the Caribbean Basin]]

Under the 1729 [[Treaty of Seville (1729)|Treaty of Seville]], the Spanish were allowed to check British vessels trading with the Americas for contraband. In 1731, the brig ''Rebecca'' was found to be carrying smuggled sugar, its captain [[Robert Jenkins (master mariner)|Robert Jenkins]] later alleging his ear was partially amputated during the search by Spanish customs officers. While deprecating such treatment, the Royal Naval commander in [[Port Royal]] argued those involved in "clandestine trade" could not complain if their cargoes were confiscated, and often used violence themselves.{{Sfn|Laughton|1889|pp=742-743}}

Tensions increased  after the founding of the British colony of [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]] in 1732, seen as a threat to [[Spanish Florida]], vital to protect shipping routes with mainland Spain.{{sfn|Ibañez|2008|p=18}} For their part, the British viewed the 1733 {{lang|fr|[[Pacte de Famille]]}} between [[Louis XV of France]] and [[Philip V of Spain]] as the first step in being replaced by France as Spain's largest trading partner.{{sfn|McKay|1983|pages=138–140}} A second round of Spanish "depredations" in 1738 led to demands for compensation, with [[Tories (British political party)|Tory]]-backed newsletters and pamphlets presenting them as being inspired by France.{{sfn|McLachlan|1940|pp=94}} In support of their campaign against Walpole, the Tories exhibited Jenkins in the [[United Kingdom House of Commons|House of Commons]], at which point the incident was widely publicised.{{Sfn|Morison|1965|p=155}}

The January 1739 [[Convention of Pardo]] established a Commission to resolve the Georgia-Florida boundary dispute. It also agreed Spain would compensate British merchants for damages, while the South Sea Company would pay [[Philip V of Spain]] his share of profits on the {{lang|es|asiento}}, but the company refused to comply.{{sfn|Woodfine|1998|p=204}} As a result, [[George II of Great Britain|George II]] declared war on 15 June, a decision formally ratified by Parliament on 23 October.{{sfn|Franklin|2011|p=88}} On 20 July, a naval force under Admiral [[Edward Vernon]] sailed for the [[West Indies]], and reached [[Antigua]] in early October.{{sfn|Davies|1994|pp=215, 215i}}