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Currency Act
The Currency Act prohibited the colonies from issuing their own paper money as legal tender. This impacted their ability to conduct trade and manage their economies. This act was met with resentment, as it hindered the colonies' flexibility in managing their economies. It was seen as another example of British interference. -
Sugar Act (before Currency Act)
The Sugar Act, also known as the American Revenue Act, aimed to raise revenue from the American colonies by increasing duties on sugar and other imported goods. Colonists were angered by the increased taxes and perceived violation of their rights as Englishmen. Protests and boycotts against British goods started to gain momentum. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act imposed taxes on a wide range of paper goods, requiring them to bear a revenue stamp purchased from British authorities. This act triggered widespread protests, boycotts, and demonstrations. The cry of "No taxation without representation" emerged, and the Stamp Act Congress was convened to protest the tax. The act was eventually repealed due to colonial pressure. -
Quartering Act (before Stamp Act)
The Quartering Act required colonists to provide housing and supplies to British soldiers stationed in the colonies. Many colonists opposed this act, as they saw it as an infringement on their rights and an unnecessary burden. Some colonial assemblies refused to fully comply. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act asserted British Parliament's authority over the colonies and its right to make laws for them. While the act was not met with immediate resistance, it was seen by many colonists as a veiled threat to their autonomy, and tensions continued to simmer. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Acts imposed new duties on various imported goods, including tea, glass, and paper. It also established stricter customs enforcement. Colonists reacted with boycotts and renewed protests against "taxation without representation." Tensions escalated, leading to the occupation of Boston by British troops. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers fired on a crowd of Boston citizens, resulting in the deaths of several colonists. The event was widely publicized as British aggression, further inflaming anti-British sentiment. It became a rallying point for colonial resistance. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies, leading to lower prices for British tea. In protest, the Boston Tea Party occurred, where colonists, dressed as Native Americans, boarded British ships and dumped tea into Boston Harbor as a demonstration of resistance against the British imposition. -
Coercive Acts (before Quartering Act)
The Coercive Acts were a series of laws passed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. They included the Boston Port Act, which closed the Boston Harbor, and the Quartering Act of 1774. Colonists viewed these acts as severe violations of their rights and collectively referred to them as the Intolerable Acts. The acts prompted solidarity among the colonies and led to the convening of the First Continental Congress. -
Quartering Act (before Quebec Act)
This act expanded the scope of the previous Quartering Act, allowing British troops to be quartered in private homes. The expansion of the Quartering Act further deepened colonial resentment and suspicion toward British intentions. -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act extended the boundaries of Quebec and granted religious tolerance to Catholics in the region. Colonists saw the act as a threat to their own religious and territorial interests, as well as an expansion of arbitrary British rule.