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The Proclamation of 1763
This made it so that the colonists could no longer settle on land that was west of the Appalachian mountains. This greatly angered the colonists as they were promised that land which made their land deeds worth nothing. Many of them settled the land anyway, ignoring the Proclamation. The British reacted by sending soldiers to stop them from settling the land. This created a united hatred of the British and sowed the seeds of the Revolution. -
The Sugar Act
The sugar act taxed many imported goods for the colonists, as well as demanding that the sugar act be paid in gold and silver. This stifled the economic freedom of the colonies as they couldn't use their own currency. This greatly upset the colonies and rightfully so, raising up the cry, along with the stamp act, of "no taxation without representation." The British, wanting to enforce the act, made it so that any violators wouldn't be tried in a local jury, but one that they themselves made. -
Images Cited
Proclamation of 1763
King George III, Proclamation of 1763, 1763. (Gilder Lehrman Collection) https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/proclamation-1763-1763
Stamp Act
Institution, S. (n.d.). 1p Stamp Act of 1765 proof | Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution. https://www.si.edu/object/1p-stamp-act-1765-proof%3Anpm_0.022044.1 -
Citations cont.
Quartering Act
Nathaniel Currier "The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor." American Battlefield Trust, 7/9/2024 https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/quartering-act
Sugar Act
Ken Shumate, "The Sugar Act", Journal of the American Revolution, https://allthingsliberty.com/2018/09/the-sugar-act-a-brief-history/, 7/9/2024
Townshend Acts
"Townshend Acts", Encyclopedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/event/Townshend-Acts, 7/9/2024 -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp act was probably one of the most controversial at the time. It made it so that every piece of paper or published work had to have a stamp on it. (Except for books) This raised the price of goods a considerable amount, when you take everything. The colonists were rightfully peeved at this and took up the cry "no taxation without representation." The British eventually repealed this act, while also passing an act of legislature saying any law they made would affect the colonies. -
The Quartering Act
This act made it so that the colonists had to house the British Soldiers. The colonists disputed the act claiming it infringed upon their current Bill of Rights. All of the colonies except for Pennsylvania refused to follow this act. The British penalized those who would not follow the act, suspending the province of the governor of New York. Though the act eventually expired in 1767. Picture Credit: American Battlefield Trust -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend acts were like the Sugar act but on steroids. The British placed taxes on everything imported into the colonies. They figured that since it was imported, not locally made, they would be more willing to pay the tax. The colonists hated the acts, and were united even more under the cry of "no taxation without representation." (See a pattern?) The British didn't repeal these acts and things quickly devolved to a disaster in Boston. This is the beginning of the Boston Massacre.