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The Molasses Act
The British West Indies, Britain's trading partner, asked Britain to mandate that the colonist only trade with them, because they were suffering from French, Dutch, and Spanish competition. The New England rum industry relied on molasses, and this tax threatened to destroy the industry.
Colonists evaded the law via smuggling and other similar means. In what was really an attempt to prevent evasion of the tax, the Sugar Act halved the molasses tax after the war. -
End of the French and Indian War
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The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act mandated that all printed materials have a stamp sold by the British. This was the first internal tax on the colonies. The colonists fiercely protested the Stamp Act, claiming that there could be no taxation without representation. The tax could not be enforced because of violent protests against it. During his time, the Sons of Liberty rose and began organized and unified resistance. After Stamp Act's failure, Britain attempted to levy external taxes against the colonies. -
The Quartering Act
After the French and Indian War, Parliament passed this act, declaring that the colonies were responsible for the cost of quartering and provisioning British troops.
Colonists did not want a standing army in peacetime, so they evaded or ignored the law. After the New York Provincial Assembly refused to quarter 1,500 British troops, a skirmish broke out. After Parliament threatened to suspend New York's governor and legislature, the Assembly agreed to pay for the quartering of troops. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were a collection of laws intended to raise money for the salaries of governors and judges, who were previously elected by the colonies. They were also intended to punish New York for failing to enforce the Quartering Act and to emphasize British control over the colonies.
The Acts were hated by the colonists. Merchants boycotted British goods with minimal success, and colonists signed nonconsumption agreements.
Parliament partially repealed the acts in 1770. -
The Revenue Act
The Revenue Act was one of the Townshend Acts designed to tax the colonists indirectly. It placed a tax on materials from Britain such as glass and lead. It attempted to prevent smuggling using writs of assistance.
Since British subjects had the right to private property, colonists were enraged that the writs of assistance could be used to search private property. Colonists considered this act another example of Parliament violating their rights. After continual protest, it was repealed in 1770 -
The Vice Admiralty Court Act
This act was one of the Townshend Acts, but passed after the other acts. It was designed to exterminate smuggling in the colonies by having smugglers tried in Royal naval courts rather than sympathetic colonial courts.
Colonists were enraged by the Act because it violated the right to trial by jury: a Crown-appointed judge decided the case and received a reward for every guilty verdict. They opposed it with the rest of the Townshend Acts. It was repealed in 1770.
