Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
 The Townshend Acts Are Passed
- the Townshend Acts were passed by England’s Finance
Minister, Charles Townshend, in 1767 which placed a tax on
glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea.
- this act also suspended New York’s assembly until the people
in New York agreed to provide housing for the troops
- the British thought the Townshend Acts would anger colonists
less than the Stamp Act because it was not a direct tax and it
would pay the salaries of governors & officials in the colony
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
- British officials attempted to
enforce the Townshend Acts by
issuing writs of assistance, which
were blank search warrants to
enter homes and businesses to
search for smuggled goods.
Charles Townshend
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
 The Reasons for Protest
- John Dickinson claimed the
issue was if “Parliament could
legally tax colonists without
permission?”
- the writs of assistance
angered the colonists because
they violated their natural rights
described by John Locke
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
 Tools of Protest
- the leader of the Boston Sons of
Liberty was Samuel Adams, who called
for a boycott of all English goods in
response to the Townshend Acts
- the Daughters of Liberty asked
colonists to weave with their own cloth
and use American products
- riots broke out in Boston and custom
officials were forced to flee!
Samuel Adams
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
 The Boston Massacre
- on March 5, 1770, workers began
protesting the Redcoats’ presence in
Boston and began rioting in front of
the Custom House
- an African-American, Crispus
Attucks, and four others were killed
by the Redcoats
Crispus Attucks
- the Sons of Liberty called the
event the Boston Massacre
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
- people in the colonies were
outraged and believed the four
men had given their lives for
freedom
- this drawing by Paul Revere
became a tool for anti-British
propaganda
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
- the Redcoats were arrested for
murder, but John Adams (cousin
of Samuel Adams) offered to
defend them in court
- Adams wanted to show the
world and England the colonists
could follow the rule of law
- Adams argued for self-defense
and the soldiers won, but the
symbol of British tyranny remained
John Adams
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
 The Tea Act
- on the day of the Boston Massacre,
Parliament repealed the Townshend
Acts, except the tax on tea
- the colonial boycott had been
effective and British trading was
suffering as a result
- Samuel Adams began the
committees of correspondence to
keep people aware of the cause for
liberty
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
- in 1773, Parliament passed the Tea
Act, which required the colonists to
pay a tax on their tea (they were
used to smuggling tea from Holland
for no tax!)
- tea was exceedingly popular in the
colonies, so this further enraged the
colonists
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
 The Boston Tea Party
- on December 16, 1773, the Sons of
Liberty organized what came to be
known as the Boston Tea Party as a
way to protest the Tea Act
- 342 chests of tea were thrown into
Boston Harbor and England would
not relent on their stance with the
Tea Act, further fanning the flames
of rebellion against the British!!!
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows
Ch.6, Sec.2 – Colonial
Resistance Grows