The British Acts

Sugar Act

Apr 5, 1764

This act was passed to collect taxes from colonists to pay for the French and Indian War. Also, sugar smugglers were a problem for Britain. This specific act taxed sugar and molasses in an effort to raise money to pay for the debt of the war and to prevent people from smuggling sugar from Britain into the colonies.

The Stamp Act

Mar 22, 1765

The French and Indian war had left Britain in tremendous debt. In order to make up for that debt, Britain taxed the colonies. The Stamp Act was one of the acts that was passed to collect money from the colonies. This act required that all legal documents and printed papers needed to have a stamp on it. In order to acquire this stamp, the colonists had to pay a heavy tax to the British.

Quartering Act

May 17, 1765

Britain sent soldiers into the colonies to protect the colonies against threats such as French soldiers and potentially hostile native american tribes. The British had to stay somewhere. So the British government passed the Quartering Act. This act required colonists to provide housing and food to any British soldier who wanted it.

The Townshend Act

Jun 29, 1767

In order to evade taxes, many colonists smuggled goods into the colonies. This was a major problem for the British, so they passed The Townshend Act. This act said that any British soldier had the right to barge into a colonists house and take goods. It also taxed materials such as glass, paper, and tea. This act led to the Boston Massacre which led to the Townshend Act being repealed one month after that.

The Tea Act

May 10, 1773

The East India Company (one of Britain's most important tea companies) was struggling badly. Britain passed this act to help the East India Company. They sent the tea to the colonies and required that the colonists buy them and pay tax on them. But the colonists refused to unload the cargo. The British kept on sending tea into the colonies but the colonists never unloaded them. This led to the Boston Tea Party, where 342 chests of tea where thrown into the harbor by american patriots.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts: Boston Port Act

Mar 31, 1774

After the Boston Tea Party, the British government realized that they were losing control over the colonies. In order to keep control and authority, they passed the first of the Coercive/Intolerable Acts, the Boston Port Act. This act closed Boston Port and stopped any ships from going there, therefore, the colonists could not export. Britain said that Boston Port would be closed until the colonists pay for the damaged tea during the Boston Tea Party.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts: MA Government Act and the Administration of Justice Act

May 17, 1774

The second of the Coercive/Intolerable Acts was called the MA Government Act and the Administration of Justice Act. This was another one of the acts that was designed to keep the colonies under check. This act prevented large get-togethers of colonists. The British government thought that if the colonists could not meet in large numbers, they would not be able to stage large rebellions. This act also put colonist officials under direct control of the King of England.

Coercive/Intolerable Acts: Quebec Act

Jun 22, 1774

The third of the Coercive/Intolerable Acts was the Quebec Act. There were many colonists up North in Quebec who were not required to pay tax. The Quebec Act said that all land that belonged to colonists in Quebec now belonged to England. This act was passed so that the British had many more people to tax.