Sasso
US I
The war is over, but…

 Treaty of Paris puts England
truly at peace for the first time in
50 years
 New sensation- Seems like there
is nobody left for England to fight
 With no battles on the horizon,
England can focus on its colonies
(especially America)
 Increased involvement will not be
an easy task
 New lands, huge debt, etc…
 Additionally, colonies have
become very resistant to
England’s authority (both
Parliament and military)
$$$$$$$

 Paying for the war effort will NOT be
easy
 Taxation will be the method, but can
London do it effectively?
 In the closing years of the war,
England ushers in a new king- King
George III
 Quite a popular figure at the start
 Determined to reassert control over
colonies (with reasonably good
intentions)
 Some problems: Unstable Parliament,
health, new PM (George Grenville),
maturity issues, etc.
 One way or another, England will
attempt to EFFECTIVELY regulate
American colonies
Proclamation of 1763

 England prohibits colonial
settlement west of
Appalachian Mts.
 England would like to control
the settlement of new lands
 Slow settlement would limit
conflict with Natives
 Hope to preserve fur trade for
British trappers
 This is widely ignored by the
colonists
 There is really no way for the
British to defend the entire
length of the App. Mts.
However…

 England is much more of a
strong-arm presence in the
colonies
 Many soldiers stayed behind;
large presence of the troops in
cities, navy patrolling the
waters, etc.
 England is trying to forcefully
crack down on smuggling
 Also looking to restrict
colonial manufacturing
(which would force colonists
to buy British-made
goods…think Monopoly)
Sugar Act 1764

 This is an indirect, external tax
(think of it like sales tax)
 The Sugar Act actually cuts the
tariff from the Molasses Act in ½
 BUT…it also firmly establishes
the use of vice-admiralty courts
for accused smugglers
 These are British military courtsno jury of peers AND the judge
earns a % of the fines he imposes
 Supposed to be a big deterrent for
American smugglers
 This pretty much means
American smugglers are guilty
and will pay the maximum
possible fines
Currency Act 1764

 Colonies frequently have a
currency shortage
 No gold/silver mines- makes
hard currency very scarce
 Currency flow regulated by
England
 Colonies oftentimes had to print
their own currency
 LOTS of issues with thatinflation, value, etc.
 Currency Act prohibits
production of colonial currency
 Prefer all trade to be carried out
in hard currency
 How can the colonies be expected
to pay their debts?
Mutiny/Quartering Act
1764, 1765, etc.

 Like any nation, England had
some difficulty with its army
 Rules/regulations had to be put
in place for crimes
 Several incarnations of the
Mutiny Act
 The Acts of 1764-1765 were
significant as they added the
Quartering Acts
 Colonists have to provide
barracks/supplies to British
soldiers
 Indirect form of taxation
 England justifies it as a form of
protection from French/Natives
Stamp Act 1765

 The mother of them all…
 Economically, the American
colonies struggle during the
1760s
 Colonies bicker and fight with
one another (borders,
currency, etc.)
 Colonies felt some degree of
unity during the French &
Indian War, though it was
somewhat limited
 The passing of the Stamp Act
is the galvanizing force that
brings the colonies together
Stamp Act 1765

 The Stamp Act is a direct,
internal tax on goods and
services
 1st time England enacted
taxation of this type on
the American colonies
 Stamp had to being
affixed to all mailed items
 Purpose of the Act was to
help offset the cost of
stationing British troops
near the Appalachians
Protests!!!

 Colonists will begin to unite in
opposition to the Stamp Act
 Sam Adams (MA) and the Sons of
Liberty- violent resistance group
 Their objective is to prevent the
collection of stamp tax
 Committees of Correspondence
are established to spread
information from colony to
colony
 Some protests will be more
“gentlemanly”
 Patrick Henry (VA)- “No taxation
without representation”
 Colonies should be taxed by their
own representatives
Stamp Act Congress

 Colonial assemblies start to
get on the same page
 Delegates from 9 colonies
meet up in NYC- 10/1765
 Develop a Declaration of
Rights and Grievances
outlining complaints against
Parliament
 Boycotting British goods
becomes a common practice
 It’s encouraged by the
Congress and enforced by
the Sons of Liberty
Stamp Act Repealed

 The collective effort by the
colonists will work
 Stamp Act went into effect
11/1765
 Under pressure from British
merchants, Parliament repeals it
3/1766
 BUT…on the very same day
Parliament passes the Declaratory
Act
 This “reasserts” Parliamentary
authority over the colonies
 That’s all well and good, but the
precedent has been set- American
colonies can get England to back
down
Townshend Acts 1767

 England will start going through
PM’s quickly
 Charles Townshend introduces
the Townshend Acts
 Indirect, external tax on lead,
paper, paint, glass, and tea
 Colonists will employ the same
protests from the Stamp Act
 Townshend Acts will ultimately
be repealed…all except the threepenny tax on tea
 Additionally, Parliament will
authorize 2,000 soldiers to be
stationed in Boston (a John
Hancock issue…)
March 5, 1770

 Tensions began to rise in Boston
 Relationship between soldiers
and colonists is generally poor
 Competition for work is a big
issue; February 1770 is pretty
rough
 Everything boils over on March
5th
 Colonial mob begin protesting
soldiers outside of Customs
House
 Shots ultimately fired by British
soldiers
 5 colonists killed (Crispus
Attucks)
 MAJOR propaganda piece
“The Tea Party”

 After the Massacre, things quiet down for a bit
 1773- A run of tea “parties”
 British East India Company (BEIC)- one of England’s
oldest corporations
 By the mid-1700s, BEIC was struggling financially and on
verge of bankruptcy
 In order to keep the BEIC viable, England will pass the
Tea Act- establishes a monopoly on colonial tea trade for
the BEIC
 Big deal for the BEIC, but this act will severely undercut
colonial merchants
“The Tea Party”

 Local merchants + Sons of
Liberty will be quick to
respond
 Dress themselves as Native
Americans- get onboard
ships, quickly and quietly try
to dump as much tea as they
can
 Similar parties will take place
in NYC, Philly, Charleston
(SC)
 Damage to merchandise will
cripple and bankrupt BEIC
 This is the final straw for
England
The Intolerable Acts

 The Intolerable Acts are designed to make an
example out of Massachusetts
 1) Boston Harbor is closed down for commerce
 2) Martial law is instituted in the city of Boston
 3) Strict reinstitution of the Quartering Act
 Boston, and by extension of Massachusetts, will be
financially crippled