Taxation Without
Representation
Chapter 5, Lesson 1
Relations with Britain
► After
winning the French and Indian War,
Great Britain controlled a lot of new territory
in America.
 To avoid confrontation with the Native
Americans, the Proclamation of 1763 prohibited
movement past the Appalachian Mountains.
 As part of the Treaty of Paris, the land received
became the provinces of Quebec, East Florida,
West Florida, and Grenada (a combination of
Caribbean Islands.)
Relations with Britain
► Stopping
western settlements had its
advantages for Britain.
 British government can control westward
movement and keep it orderly, in hopes of
preventing confrontation with the Natives.
 Would slow the movement away from the
coastline, where Britain’s important markets and
investments were.
 Allowed for British officials to control the
lucrative fur trade.
► These
would be done by keeping 10,000
troops in America to protect these interests.
Relations with Britain
Many colonists feared that:
 with so many troops in the colonies their freedoms
would be interfered with.
 the Proclamation of 1763 was a limit on their
freedom.
► These contributed to the growing distrust between
Great Britain and its colonies.
► The financial problems in Britain did not helping either.
 The French and Indian War left Great Britain in a
huge debt and they were desperate for new
revenue, or incoming money.
 The colonists would begin to receive various taxes
that would enrage them and surprise British officials.
►
Britain’s Trade Laws
► In
1763, George Grenville became prime minister of
Britain and was determined to reduce their debt.
 He took action against smuggling in the colonies.
 When the colonists smuggled goods to avoid
taxes, Britain lost revenue it could use to pay its
debt.
► Grenville knew American Juries would frequently
find smugglers innocent.
 In 1763, he convinced Parliament to pass a law
allowing smugglers to be sent to Vice-admiralty
courts (Were run by officers and did not have
juries.)
Britain’s Trade Laws
► In
1767, Parliament decided to authorize
writs of assistance.
 These legal documents allowed customs officers
to enter any location to search for smuggled
goods.
The Sugar Act
► With
a new law to stop smuggling, Grenville next
sought to increase tax revenue by passing the
Sugar Act in 1764.
 The act lowered tax on molasses imported into
the colonies and he hoped it would convince the
colonist to pay instead of smuggling.
 It also allowed officers to seize goods from
smugglers without going to court.
► The Sugar Act and the new laws to control
smuggling upset the colonists and believed their
rights as Englishmen were being violated.
The Sugar Act
► Writs
of Assistance – violated right to secure
home.
► Vice Admiralty Courts – violated right to trial by
jury.
 The burden of proof was also on the defendants
to prove their innocence.
 This was a contradiction of British law, which
states that the accused is “innocent until proven
guilty.”
► James Otis believed that “no parts of [England’s
colonies] can be taxed without their consent…
every part has a right to be represented.”
James Otis
The Stamp Act
► In
1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act
in an effort to raise money.
 Placed a tax on almost all printed material in
the colonies.
 Newspapers, playing cards, wills, pamphlets,
etc.
► All
printed material must be stamped, which
was applied by a British official.
 Nearly everything was stamped and affected
almost everyone in the colonies.
 It convinced the colonists of the need for
action.
Protesting the Stamp Act
►A
young member of the Virginia House of
Burgesses, Patrick Henry, persuaded the
burgesses to take action against the Stamp Act.
 It worked, and the Virginia assembly passed a
resolution (a formal expression of opinion)
that “the only sole and exclusive right and
power to lay taxes” on its citizens.”
► In
Boston, Samuel Adams helped start an
organization known as the Sons of Liberty.
 Members would take to the streets to protest
the Stamp Act.
 This also worked and other cities soon also set
up Sons of Liberty groups.
Patrick Henry
Samuel Adams
Protesting the Stamp Act
► Throughout
the summer of 1765, protestors
burned effigies (rag figures) representing
unpopular tax collectors.
► They also raided and destroyed house
belonging to royal officials and shouted that
only Americans had the right to tax
Americans.
The Stamp Act Congress
► In
October delegates from nine colonies met in New
York at the Stamp Act Congress.
 They drafted a petition for the king and
Parliament declaring that the colonies could only
be taxed by their own assemblies.
► In colonial cities, people refused to use the stamps
and instead would boycott (refuse to buy) British
and European goods in protest.
 Thousands of merchants, artisans, and farmers
signed nonimportation agreements (refused to
buy or use goods imported from Britain)
 It got so bad that British merchants were begging
Parliament to repeal (cancel) the Stamp Act.
The Act is repealed
► In
March of 1766, Parliament gave in and the
Stamp Act was finally repealed.
 However, the colonist never fully trusted the
king or parliament anymore.
 While the colonist celebrated their victory over
the Stamp Act another act was passed that
same day.
► The Declaratory Act of 1766 stated that
Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions
for the British colonies “in all cases.”
 Now, they had to worry about who would make
decisions in the colonies.
New Taxes
► Soon
after the Stamp Act crisis, Parliament passed
the Townshend Acts.
 The colonist did not enjoy being taxed
internally, or paid within the colonies.
 Now they were being taxed on basic goods such
as, glass, tea, paper, and lead which they could
not make on their own.
 Furthermore, the taxes had to be paid at the
port of entry.
► The colonists were not going to accept ANY taxes
at this point and returned to the tried and true
strategy of boycotting, and even more colonists
participated this time.
New Taxes
► Women
protest.
took an active role during the
 Occasionally, calling themselves the Daughters
of Liberty, they told colonists to make goods
that were available only from Britain before.
 They made their own clothes and other
materials and believed that this would
ultimately lead to the colonies becoming
economically independent.