Chapter 5: The Spirit of Independence
Section 1: Taxation without Representation
Essential Question:
Following the French and Indian War, how did the
British government anger the American Colonists?
Key Battles, Events, People, Places, and Terms :
 Vice- admiralty courts
 Writs of Assistance
 Sugar Act
 Stamp Act
 Patrick Henry
 Samuel Adams
 Sons of Liberty
 The Stamp Act Congress
 Boycotted
 Non-importation agreements
 Repeal
 Declaration Act
 The Townshend Acts
Relations with Britain
 The French and Indian War
 Britain gained territory
 Had to protect new lands
 Prohibited colonists from moving west
 Avoided conflict with Native Americans
 Ensured a market for British goods on the east coast
 Controlled trade in the frontier
Relations with Britain
 Britain wanted to place 10,000 troops in colonies to protect their interests
 Needed money to pay troop expenses
 Also had massive debt from French and Indian War
 Issued new taxes on colonies
 Enforced all taxes strictly
Relations with Britain
Britain’s Trade Laws
 1763: Prime Minister of England
George Grenville
 Decided to act against
smuggling
 Had smugglers sent to
vice- admiralty courts
 Had no juries
 1767: Parliament authorized
Writs of Assistance
 Allowed customs officers to
enter any location to search for
smuggled goods
Relations with Britain
 Parliament passed the Sugar
Act in 1764
 Lowered the tax on
imported molasses
 An effort to make
molasses cheaper so
colonist would stop
smuggling
 The Sugar Act and other laws to control
smuggling angered the colonists
 Thought they violated their rights as
English Citizens
 Writs of Assistance made their
homes open at any time
 Vice- admiralty courts violated
trial by jury
 Also had to prove your
innocence
 Not “Innocent until
proven guilty”
Relations with Britain
 Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765
 A tax on almost all printed materials
 Newspaper, Wills, Playing Cards
 All printed material needed a stamp given by a British official after the
tax was paid
 This taxed the colonies directly and without their consent
Protesting the Stamp Act
 Patrick Henry
 Member of Virginia House of Burgesses
 Burgesses passed a resolution saying
only they had the right to tax its citizens
Samuel Adams
 Started the Sons of Liberty in Boston
 Sons of Liberty groups grew in other cities
 Burned effigies of tax collectors
 Rag figures
 Destroyed houses belonging to royal
officers
Protesting the Stamp Act
 Nine Colonies met in New York City
 The Stamp Act Congress
 Drafted a petition to the King and Parliament
 Declared the colonies could only be taxed by their own assemblies
Protesting the Stamp Act
 Colonial cities refused to buy stamps
Boycotted British and European goods
 Refused to buy
Thousands of merchants signed
non-importation agreements
 pledge to not buy goods
imported from Britain
 British merchants lost so
much business they begged
parliament to repeal the
Stamp Act
 They wanted it
canceled
Protesting the Stamp Act
 March 1766
 Parliament repealed the law
 Same day passed the Declaration Act
 Stated they had the right to tax and make decisions for British
Colonies in “all cases”
The Townshend Acts
Passed by Parliament in 1767
 taxes would be applied to
imported goods
 Glass, tea, and paper
 Tax was paid at point of entry
 The colonists were angered because
they believed only their
representatives could tax them
 Another boycott was formed
 Bought and produced these
goods in the colonies