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Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 stated that colonists could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains due to the upset natives. Many settlers were unhappy with the Proclamation since they had just spent the French and Indian War fighting over the land they now could not live in. Most of the colonists ignored the Proclamation. The Proclamation was enacted by the British government in response to Pontiac's Rebellion. They soon decided to tax the colonists for the expenses from the Seven Years War. -
The Sugar (or Plantation) Act
The Sugar Act of 1764 was passed by British Parliament in an attempt to prevent the smuggling of sugar and molasses in the colonies and was also used to raise revenue to pay for Britain's debt. The colonists didn't appreciate that they had to pay taxes on sugar and molasses and they began to protest Parliament's involvement in the colonies. The colonists believed that they were being taxed without representation. The British continued to tax the colonists, and soon created the Stamp Act. -
The Currency Act
The Currency Act of 1764 prevented colonists from printing paper money and opening public banks. It said that colonists could only pay with gold or silver which was sparse in the colonies. The colonial economy suffered greatly and was one of the biggest grievances against the crown. The British government passed the act to please British merchants who didn't want to trade their items for money that they didn't know the value of. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 stated that all items made of printed paper (except a certain few) were required to have a British stamp on them. This act upset the colonists because it was viewed as a direct attempt to squeeze money from the colonists without the proper representation. The penalties for forging stamps was death, but the colonists protested by ruining the stamps and humiliating the stamp agents. Parliament eventually repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but still taxed colonists to pay debt. -
The Quartering Acts
The Quartering Acts of 1765 obligated the colonies to house British soldiers in barracks that were payed for and provided by the colonies. The colonists had to make their homes fit for his Majesty's forces if they were forced to take them in. The colonists didn't like that they were being commanded to house British soldiers in their houses so they decided to ignore the act. Parliament replied by passing more acts that forced colonists to follow the law which would lead to the Boston Massacre. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were laws passed by Parliament which included taxes on tea, paper, paint, lead, and glass. The acts were used to collect money from the colonies to pay for the war, which upset the colonists. They rebelled with the Boston Tea Party and organized boycotts. One boycott turned into the Boston Massacre. Parliament repealed most of the taxes in 1770, but tea, a popular beverage was still being taxed. The British government reacted to the Boston Tea Party with the Intolerable Acts.
