Download Protesting the Stamp Act

Road to
The
Revolution
The Sugar Act:
The Government of Great Britain, Parliament, needed money to pay off the cost
of the French and Indian War. They believed that the colonists should help pay
this cost since much of the fighting was done to defend them.
So Parliament passed the Sugar Act, which was a tax on sugar, and
molasses. Molasses was very important to New England merchants, since they
bought molasses to make rum to sell to other colonies including the French,
Dutch, and Spanish. This tax almost stopped the rum trade from New England,
and the New England colonies protested.
The tax worried colonial leaders. They feared Britain might be moving towards
seizing power from colonial governments, such as the right to tax. The colonial
leaders did not want that to happen. They wanted the American colonies free
to govern themselves as they had been doing for many years.
(No) Taxation Without Representation:
The one idea that fired the imaginations of the American people the
most during the Revolutionary War was the idea that they should
have a say in how their government treated them.
"No Taxation Without Representation" was an example of this: The
American people didn't appreciate the fact that the British
government, an entire ocean away, was making taxes that applied to
them. They couldn't tell the King or Parliament that the taxes were too
high or just plan unfair because the English government was too far
away.
And when the people tried to complain to their local English leaders,
they got referred to the King. They couldn't win.
Committees of Correspondence:
What was a Committee of Correspondence? Think of it as a
REALLY slow group text….
It was just people, like you and me, who had something in common and they
wanted to talk about it. It was difficult to travel in colonial times, so
instead, they wrote each other letters. These letters were passed from person
to person, with people adding comments and responses. It wasn't the
quickest way, but it worked.
Committees of Correspondence sprang up in the Massachusetts colony.
These committees wrote each other about colonial matters.
Pretty soon, similar committees were formed in other colonies. These groups
began corresponding with each other, discussing British taxes and other
wrongdoings.
The Stamp Act:
The Sugar Act had not generated enough money, so
Parliament passed the Stamp Act. While the Sugar
Act did not cause too much concern other than in New
England, The Stamp Act brought about huge
protests.
The Stamp Act was different. The Stamp Act
required colonists to buy and place stamps on many
paper goods such as newspapers, diplomas, contracts,
prayer books, marriage licenses, and other legal
documents. Laborers, craftsmen, farmers, lawyers,
merchants, and basically everyone had to pay this tax.
Lawyers and publishers were the hardest hit. People
could not afford both the lawyer and the tax. Many
could not afford to buy books, not even prayer books.
This act was extremely unpopular in the colonies. It
gave colonial leaders a chance to convince the colonists
that they were being taxed unfairly because the colonists
had no voice in government - no taxation without
representation!
Protesting the Stamp Act:
As the uproar against the Stamp Act grew, colonial
leaders created a special congress - a Stamp Act
Congress. Individual colonies sent delegates to New
York City to attend a meeting of this special
congress.
The delegates drew up a petition protesting the
Stamp Act, giving their reasons, and demanding
this law be repealed. They sent this petition to
Parliament back in England.
This was very important. It clearly demonstrated
that the colonies could and would speak with one
voice.
The Townshend Acts:
These new laws (named after Charles Townshend
the British Chancellor of the Treasury) placed new
taxes on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea.
Colonial reaction to these taxes was the same as to
the Sugar Act and Stamp Act.
Britain eventually repealed (canceled) all the taxes
except the one on tea. In response to the sometimes
violent protests by the American colonists, Great
Britain sent more troops to the colonies.
The Boston Massacre:
By 1770, although some colonists were still loyal to the crown, many
others were upset about the taxes and the troops and the disregard the
British Parliament had shown for the needs of the American colonists.
Jobs were lost. British troops were arrogant. And monies were tight.
Taxation without representation was the cry heard everywhere. Tension
was growing.
Fights often broke out between the British soldiers and the colonists. On
March 5, 1770, a group of sailors threw snowballs and sticks at a group
of British soldiers. And things got crazy. A club was thrown. The British
felt threatened. They fired into the crown. When it was over, five men
were dead, including Crispus Attucks. He was the first man to die in
what would soon become the Revolutionary War. This incident was called
the Boston Massacre.
The British officers involved were arrested for murder. The officers
pleaded self-defense, and the jury agreed.
After the Boston Massacre, British Parliament repealed all taxes except
the one on tea.
The colonists heaved a sign of relief. Most merchants lifted their ban on
British goods. But colonial leaders were still unhappy with the way the
British were treating the colonists. They did not believe that British
Parliament had the colonists best interests at heart.
The Tea Act:
British Parliament passed the Tea Act. This law gave one British company
the right to control all trade in tea with the colonies. It would be sold
directly to the colonists and cut out the colonial tea merchants. The
colonists would still have to pay the tax on tea, however the tea would
be less expensive because they wouldn’t be paying the increased profits
of the colonial tea merchants
To the colonial leaders, the Tea Act was just like the Stamp Act - an
attempt by Parliament to seize control from colonial government. First,
taxation without representation, then the Townshend Acts, and now
control of trade. Colonial leaders found this totally unacceptable.
The Boston Tea Party:
A group of colonists in Boston, dressed as
Native Americans boarded three British tea
ships anchored in Boston harbor. They dumped
342 chests of tea into the salty water.
Some colonial leaders offered to pay for the tea if
Parliament would repeal the Tea Act.
Parliament refused the offer to pay for the tea,
and passed a group of new harsh laws to punish
the Massachusetts colony. The colonists called
these laws the Intolerable Acts.
The Intolerable Acts:
In response to the Boston Tea Party,
Parliament passed a group of new harsh laws to
punish the Massachusetts colony. These laws
were so harsh the colonists called them the
Intolerable Acts.
One law allowed Britain to house troops
whenever and wherever they wanted.
One law closed Boston harbor for all trade until
the tea dumped overboard was paid for in full.
One law banned the Committees of
Correspondence.
In response, other colonies sent supplies to
Boston. And the committees of correspondence
called a meeting of all colonies to decide what to
do about the problems with Britain.
The Quartering Act(s):
The Quartering Act was an act
passed by British Parliament to
ensure that British soldiers would
be properly billeted and fed during
their times of service in the North
American Colonies.
In addition to providing housing
for troops, communities were also
required to provide food and drink,
and they would not be compensated.
In communities where supplies were
limited, this was a major source of
friction, as people resented being forced
to turn these necessities over to soldiers.
Some communities, notably in New York,
refused to abide by the terms of the act.