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Sugar Act
The Sugar Act taxed colonists on sugar. If it was more than a pound, the colonists were taxed on it. This act was meant to help pay after the French and Indian war. The colonists did appreciate the taxes. They were not upset because they were being taxed for sugar, but instead because they had no representation when it came to taxes. The British repealed the act later when the colonists started to enrage. -
The Stamp Act
The British were in debt and looking for a way to make some money, so they issued out the stamp act which made it so important documents and even playing cards had to have stamps and these stamps costed money. The colonists were enraged once more and protested and started mobs. Hanging a stamp distributor and burning his house. The British once again repealed the stamp act. -
The Townshed Acts
The British believed the colonists owed them and they should get money from them, so they started the Townshend acts. This allowed the British to tax the colonists on imported goods. Once again, they received backlash from the colonists. They protested and chanted "no taxation without representation." and it also caused the Boston Massacre which angered the colonists even more. The British revoked all imported taxes except for tea. -
The Tea Act
The East India Company was losing money. So the British decided to tax the colonists on tea to earn back their money. This caused backlash. The colonists and merchants were enraged and in Boston over 50 men went aboard ships and dumped boxes upon boxes into the ocean in what was known as the Boston Tea Party. The British revoked the act, but believed the colonists should be punished. -
The Intolerable Acts
After the Boston tea party, the British believed the colonists should be punished so they dealt out the intolerable acts. This closed the Boston port and let soldiers stay in colonist homes if needed. This backfired on the British government. It united the colonists together and they made a group of people called the Continental Congress in an effort to revoke these acts peacefully. The British ignored their Declarations of Rights and this set the stage for war.