PATHWAY TO THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
British
Action
Proclamation of 1763
Writs of Assistance 1763
Sugar Act of 1763
Currency Act of 1764
Stamp Act of 1765
British Rationale
Colonial Action
Provided a temporary measure to gain time Resentment and failure to
to devise a more permanent solution to
comply to the
conflict between Indians and settlers.
law…..Pioneers such as
Settlers were not to cross over into the Ohio Daniel Boone would move
Valley until land policies were developed.
westward
Unrestricted search warrants to search for Would continue smuggling
colonial smuggled goods to enforce the
and accuse British of
Navigation Acts. Gave British Navy and
violating their rights
Custom officials absolute power of “search
and seizure”
Replaced the Molasses Act of 1733, and
Experimented with
actually lowered the tax on sugar and
boycotts.
molasses (which the New England colonies
imported to make rum as part of the
triangular trade) from 6 cents to 3 cents a
barrel, but for the first time adopted
provisions that would insure that the tax was
strictly enforced; created the vice-admiralty
courts; and made it illegal for the colonies to
buy goods from non-British Caribbean
colonies and pay off war debt.
Required colonists to pay British merchants Smoldering resentment
in gold and silver, rather than inflated
and refusal to pay.
colonial paper currency.
Colonial Rationale
Colonists saw the Proclamation as an attempt to
“hem them in” and keep them under British
control….Land west was also looked as the
colonist’s birthright for the “American Dream”
Believed their rights as Englishmen had been
violated……Due process and right to privacy
were guaranteed in the English Bill Rights
Colonists believed Britain had no right to tax
for revenue without the colonists having
representation in Parliament.
Mercantilism had created a chronic trade deficit
for the colonies….The British were asking the
impossible in demanding payments in gold or
silver when colonial resources were continually
being drained.
British legislation required that all legal or
Petitions, protests,
Britain had no right of taxation without
official documents used in the colonies,
boycotts, non-importation representation and no offenders should be tried
such as wills, deeds and contracts, had to be agreements, radical groups
in admiralty courts without juries.
written on special, stamped British paper. such as “Sons of Liberty”
First “direct tax” colonists paid to England which organized violent
*British Parliament would repeal the Stamp
and was used to help pay for the war debt
protests…..Stamp Act
Tax in 1766.
and protect the colonies.
Congress representatives
appeal to Parliament to
repeal Stamp Tax
Declaratory Act of 1766
Passed at the same time that the Stamp Act
Colonists ignored
was repealed, the Act declared that
Parliaments absolute
Parliament had the power to tax the colonies powers and regarded it as
both internally and externally, and had
an example of a corrupt
absolute power over the colonial
government
legislatures.
The Colonists had forced the British to back
down…..In their glee they overlooked the
implications of the Declaratory Act.
Another series of revenue measures, they The colonial reaction was The colonists believed the indirect taxes they
taxed quasi-luxury items imported into the outrage and they instituted
had accepted earlier as a legitimate way to
Townshend Duties of 1766
colonies, including paper, lead, tea, and
another movement to stop control trade in mercantilism were now being
paint..
importing British goods used to collect revenue…..They considered this
another example of taxation of representation
Required colonists house and feed British
Protest in colonial
Colonists viewed this, as taxation without
troops for their own protection.
legislatures…..Bitter
representation….Questioned Britain’s motive in
feelings between colonists
sending troops to America when Foreign
Quartering Act of 1768
and “redcoats”. Led to
enemies had been removed….Perhaps the
“Boston Massacre” in
troops were there to control the colonists.
March of 1770.
Represented an attempt to save the British Protests, Sons of Liberty
Even though British tea became cheaper,
East India Company, which had been
organize Boston Tea Party
colonists were still being taxed without
floundering since the repeal of Townshend
in Dec. of 1773 and
representation and forced to buy the tea.
Duties except the tax on tea. The Act was
boycott British goods.
Tea Act of 1770
an attempt to conceal a tax by lowering
prices for British team with reduced
transportation costs. Another to raise
revenue to pay off debt.
Punished Americans for property lost in the Boycotts and convening
Colonists viewed the acts as sweeping and
Coercive or Intolerable Acts
Boston Tea Party…..Closed the port of
First Continental Congress
unjustified denials of their rights as
in Jan. 1774
Boston until tea was paid for and placed
to petition King George.
Englishmen.
Massachusetts under “martial law”.
British attempts to capture colonial leaders 2nd Continental Congress
Colonists viewed this, as taxation without
and war supplies to prevent the possibility meets, organizes an army representation….Questioned Britain’s motive in
Lexington and Concord,
of a successful colonial revolt
preparing for
sending troops to The British had now killed
April 19, 1775
war….Congress wants to
colonists and provided cause for further
negotiate with Great
colonial resistance..
Britain
PATHWAY TO THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
British
Action (brief explanation)
Proclamation of 1763
Writs of Assistance 1763
Sugar Act of 1763
Currency Act of 1764
Stamp Act of 1765
Declaratory Act of 1766
British Rationale (Why?)
Colonial Reaction
Colonial Rationale (Why?)
Townshend Duties of 1766
Quartering Act of 1768
Tea Act of 1770
Coercive or Intolerable Acts
in Jan. 1774
Lexington and Concord,
April 19, 1775
Sources: J. Billett, Fallon, NV, G. Feldmuth, Pasadena, CA
.