Animal Kingdom
of the American
Revolution
By K.J. Reid
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were made to make certain that only
England benefited from trade with colonies. Parliament passed
a series of laws between 1651 and 1673. These laws directed
the flow of goods between England and the colonies. Colonial
Merchants couldn’t send goods on foreign ships. The
Navigation Acts also prevented the colonists from sending
certain products, such as sugar or tobacco, outside England’s
empire. Some colonist ignored this and began smuggling or
trading illegally with other nations.
Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War, Great Britain controlled a lot of
territory in North America. To limit settlement of this territory,
parliament issued the Proclamation of 1763. The Proclamation didn’t
allow colonists to pass the Appalachian Mountains. So instead of
obeying the Proclamation rules, the colonist ignored them.
Stamp Act
In 1765 Parliament passed the Stamp Act in an effort to raise money. This
law placed a tax on all printed material in the colonies. They taxed
material like newspapers, pamphlets, wills, and playing cards. All printed
material had to have a special stamp, which stamp masters applied. This
act affected the entire colonial cities. The British totally ignored the
colonial tradition of self-government. The colonists were upset with this
entire situation. A young man named Patrick Henry persuaded the Virginia
House of Burgesses to take action against the Stamp.
Sons of Liberty
In response to the Stamp Act, Samuel Adams
started an organization called the Sons of Liberty.
Also people in other cities also organized Sons of
Liberty groups. Throughout the summer of 1765,
protesters burned effigies. They also raided and
destroyed homes belonging to royal officials and
marched through the streets the streets that
Americans had the right to tax Americans.
Declaratory Act
In 1766, Parliament gave in to the colonists’ demands and repealed the
Stamp Act. While the colonists celebrated their victory over the Stamp Act,
Parliament passed another act on the same day it repealed the Stamp Act.
Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which gave Parliament the right to
tax and to make decisions for the British Colonies. The Colonists were very
upset with these Taxes.
Quartering Act
In 1765, Parliament passed the Quartering Act to ensure that
British soldiers had proper housing and provisions. The
British send soldiers 3,000 miles to punish the colonial
people. Colonists had to feed and house British soldiers.
Specific items included bedding, cooking, utensils; firewood,
beer or cider and candles. The Colonists reaction to this act
was very negative. This act started the idea for a militia and
armies to defend the colonies.
Townshend Acts
In 1767, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts. The
purpose was to raise taxes on imported goods. They
taxed on basic items such as glass, tea, paper, and lead.
The colonists needed these items because they didn’t
produce these themselves. The colonists responded by
boycotting against the imported goods. Women took
action in this and in different town, started an
organization called the daughters of liberty. They wore
homemade fabrics and produced other goods that were
available on from Britain before. This also outraged the
Sons of Liberty.
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, after the colonists were tired of the British’s constant taxes, a
huge fight broke out between the British and some angry colonists. As tension
grew in this outrage, colonists started throwing anything they found like, sticks,
stones, shovels, clubs, snowballs, pieces of wood, and oyster shells. After one of
the soldiers was knocked down, the British shot and killed 5 colonists. Among the
dead was Crispus Attucks, a dockworker who was part African, par Native
American. As a result of this tragic encounter, Samuel Adams put posters up
describing this event, and an engraving by Paul Revere showed a British officer
giving the order to open fire on a calm crowd. This powerful image strengthened
ant – British feeling.
Tea Act/ Tea Party
The Tea Act was passed by Parliament in 1733. This act was passed
because the British East India Company was in ruins. This act gave
the company the right to ship tea to the colonies without paying
most of the Taxes usually placed on Tea. The colonists immediately
called for a new boycott of British goods. This entire act outraged
the colonists. In 1773, three tea ships arrived in Boston Harbor. On
December 16, 1773, John Adams and the Son of Liberty boarded
the three tea ships. All these men disguised as Mohawks Indians,
threw 342 chests of tea overboard.
Coercive Acts
In the spring of 1774, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts as a
result of the Boston Tea Party. The British were very angry with the
colonists. They were very harsh laws that closed Boston Harbor,
prevented the arrival of food, and other supplies that normally come
by ship. These laws also took away certain rights of the
Massachusetts colonists. For example, these laws banned most town
meetings, an important form of self-government in New England.
They also forced Bostonians to shelter soldiers in their homes, but
luckily enough, other colonies sent special items for Boston.