Timeline of Revenue Acts

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  • The sugar act (1764)

    The Sugar Act imposed duties on sugar and molasses imported into the colonies, aiming to raise revenue for Britain after the costly French and Indian War. Colonists protested, arguing it was an unfair tax that violated their rights. They organized boycotts and petitions. Britain responded by enforcing stricter customs regulations, hoping to increase revenue.

  • The Stamp Act (1765)

    The Stamp Act required colonists to buy a government-issued stamp for every piece of paper they used, including newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards. Colonists were outraged and formed the Stamp Act Congress, which issued a petition against the act. Protests and boycotts followed. The British government was initially firm in its stance, but due to the intensity of the protests and economic pressure from boycotts, the act was repealed in 1766.

  • The Townshend Acts (1767)

    These acts placed duties on goods like glass, tea, paper, and paint imported to the colonies. Colonists reacted with boycotts and protests, particularly against the tax on tea. This led to the formation of the Non-Importation Agreements. Britain sent troops to maintain order in the colonies and enforced the acts more strictly.

  • The Tea Act (1773)

    The Tea Act gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies and allowed it to sell directly to the colonies, bypassing colonial merchants. This led to the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to protest. In response to the Boston Tea Party, Britain passed the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts) to punish the colonists.

  • The Coercive Acts (1774)

    The Coercive Acts were designed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston’s port, limited town meetings, and allowed royal officials accused of crimes to be tried in Britain. Colonists were furious, seeing these acts as a violation of their rights. It united the colonies, leading to the formation of the First Continental Congress. Britain insisted these acts were necessary to maintain order, and they refused to back down.