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Navigation Acts (1763)
The Navigation Act of 1763 was a law passed by the British government to control trade in the American colonies. The main goal was to make sure that the colonies were only trading with Britain and using British ships for their imports and exports. This way, Britain could benefit from all the profits and maintain control over colonial trade. -
French-Indian War (1756-1763)
The French-Indian War, which took place from 1754 to 1763, was a conflict between the British and the French, along with their respective Native American allies, over control of North America. The main issue was who would dominate the fur trade and control key territories. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Acts, passed in 1767, were a series of laws by the British Parliament that imposed taxes on common goods imported into the American colonies, like glass, tea, paper, and paint. The purpose was to raise revenue to pay for the salaries of British officials in the colonies and to assert Britain's authority over the colonies. The colonists were not happy with these taxes because they felt it was another example of "taxation without representation." -
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act of 1765 was another law passed by the British Parliament that required American colonists to provide housing, food, and supplies for British soldiers stationed in the colonies. Essentially, if there weren't enough barracks or public houses for the soldiers, colonists had to let them stay in their homes or other buildings at their own expense.
This act was really unpopular among the colonists because it felt like an invasion of their privacy and added financial burdens. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was a law passed by the British Parliament that required colonists to pay a tax on a wide range of paper goods, like newspapers, legal documents, and even playing cards. Basically, anything made of paper had to have an official stamp on it to show that the tax had been paid.