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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 prohibited colonists from expanding west of the Appalachian Divide, including by purchasing land or establishing agreements with natives. Only licensed traders were permitted to travel west for trading with natives. This proclamation outraged the colonists for varying reasons; some opposed the strict regulations in general, while others wanted good farmland in the west. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was essentially a modification of the soon-to-expire Molasses Act of 1733. This new act lowered the former tax rate and reinforced duty collection in an attempt to stop the colonists from smuggling sugar and molasses. Colonists protested this act, as it prevented them from running business the way they were used to, and they viewed the act as a violation of their rights. -
Currency Act
The Currency Act regulated currency by prohibiting colonists from using their paper currency and forcing them to use the British pound sterling. This act angered the colonists, as they felt it would make their already-bad economic situation worse. The colonists protested the act increasing tensions between them and Great Britain. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act enforced taxes on all paper products and some other goods in the colonies, some tax rates varying by salary. This act was passed in an attempt to earn back the money Great Britain lost during the French and Indian Wars. Colonists protested against this act aggressively because they deemed it wildly unconstitutional, even resorting to violence. -
Quartering Act (1765)
The Quartering Act demanded that colonists house British soldiers in barracks, inns, stables, and any other buildings the soldiers requested. This act upset the colonists, as they preferred to be asked and to give permission, rather than to be forced into giving up their buildings. The colonists refused to comply with this act, eventually resulting in street fights and general brawls. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was approved almost immediately after the Stamp Act was repealed. This act determined that a Parliament majority could pass any law they pleased, and Parliament represented all British citizens, not just those in voting districts. The colonists viewed this act as very unfair because it meant that people they did not have any say in electing were able to make laws for them. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act enforced taxes on various goods imported to the colonies. Some goods that were taxed included British china, lead, and paper. These specific goods were taxed because the British thought the colonists would have trouble replicating these items, but the colonists boycotted British goods anyway. The British sent troops to the colonies in an attempt to prevent more protests, but this only angered the colonists more. -
Boston Massacre
After the Stamp and Townshend acts, tensions were high between the patriot colonists and both the loyalist colonists and British soldiers. One day, colonists were threatening a British Soldier when the soldier decided to fight back. The skirmish escalated on both sides, eventually ending in a British soldier shooting and killing five colonists. While the intent, or lack thereof, behind this shooting is debated, it fueled the colonists' anti-British sentiments nonetheless. -
Boston Tea Party
After the Boston Massacre and the Tea Act, colonists began smuggling tea at much higher rates. In an act of protest against the British, more than 100 colonists boarded docked British East India Company ships and threw more than 45 tons of tea into the Boston Harbor. While many colonists supported the rebellious act, there were plenty of others who thought that destroying private property was not the right way to protest the British. -
Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts)
The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts used to punish the colony of Massachusetts and send a warning to the other colonists. One act closed the Boston port until colonists paid for the tea they destroyed. These acts backfired, however, because they caused more unrest and questioning among the colonists. The colonists formed the First Continental Congress to generate a response to the Intolerable Acts. The first course of action they took was boycotting British goods and petitioning. -
Quartering Act (1774)
The Quartering Act modified the original Quartering Act, so it now allowed soldiers to be housed in occupied buildings, such as colonists' homes. This act outraged the colonists because they viewed it as both a violation of their privacy and property rights -
Quebec Act
The Quebec Act replaced the Proclamation of 1763 and protected the Roman Catholics. The act also guaranteed the political loyalty of the French Canadians to the British Government. The colonists were mostly Protestants so they were fairly anti-Catholic, which is why the act angered them so much. They also viewed it as a violation of their rights, like many other of the Intolerable Acts.