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Sugar Act
Replaced the old sugar and molasses act of 1733
Increased taxes on sugar, molasses, coffee, etc from countries like Spain and France
Lowered taxes on sugar from Britain
Increased navy to enforce
British became more strict about following the Act -
Currency Act
British took control of the colonial money system
Made colonial bills and paper money illegal
Replaced with the British sterling pound
British officers would receive trials in favor of British, not colonial
Colonies could not print their own money -
Stamp Act
The British wanted to regain control of the colonies
British had massive debts and needed money through taxes to pay them off
British taxed all printed goods, such as paper, cards, dice, diplomas, etc -
Quartering Act
British wanted to reduce their spending because of their debt
Made American colonists (specifically tavern-keepers) house and feed British soldiers
This saved England lots of money for providing for their soldiers.
Colonists could not refuse to quarter British soldiers
Punished mutiny -
Townshed Acts
British had a goal of raising 40000 pounds in taxes from the colonies by taxing "unnessessary" goods, such as glass, lead, paper, and tea.
Americans boycotted buying these products from them
American aggression increased towards the British
Plan backfired and British did not make their intend amount of money -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers shot and killed five American civilians after they taunted and harassed them. the soldiers were arrested, but found not guilty. -
The Gaspee Affair
Captain Lindsey of the ship Hannah lured the British ship the Gaspee into shallow waters where it became stranded on the sandbanks. Local patriots banded together and to row out to the ship and set fire to it. They destroyed the vessel and took the crew as prisoners. -
Tea Act
Britain gave the East India Company a monopoly so the colonies could only purchase tea from them. This is because the business was struggling and losing a lot of money. -
Boston Tea Party
60 Massachusetts colonists board British tea trading ships at night while dressed as Indians and dump 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor causing 9659 British Pounds in damages. -
Intolerable Acts
As punishment for American colonists' defiance the British passed a number of harsh laws known as the intolerable or coercive acts. These laws closed Boston Harbor, reduced Massachusetts to a Royal colony and forbidding self governing and town meetings, allowing British soldiers to have trials in England or other colonies, forced colonists to let British soldiers stay in their buildings, and restricted the fur trade between Ohio and Mississippi rivers.