Proclamation of 1763

Transcription

1 Proclamation of 1763

2 Sugar Act (1764) Angry crowd burning stamps used to indicate the paid sugar tax The Sugar Act, passed in 1764, was a tax passed specifically on molasses, the key ingredient in the profitable manufacturing of rum. It also made it easier for the British officials in the colonies to punish smugglers who were trading molasses without paying the tax.

3 Stamp Act (1765) The Stamp Act, passed in 1765 by the British government, was a tax on legal documents, newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, and even dice. Colonists throughout America protested this tax, sometimes violently. Representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies agreed to a meeting, called the Stamp Act Congress, in which they petitioned the King of England to either repeal the tax, or allow the colonies to have representation in the British Parliament. Paying taxes, the colonists claimed, was not unfair provided they had a voice in the process of creating and approving these taxes.

4 Townshend Acts (1767) Political cartoon showing colonists tar & feathering a British tax collector Another tax passed by the British Parliament on the colonists, it taxed common, everyday items like glass, lead, paint, & tea. It also allowed British officials to search any colonial property, especially ships, without cause. The British used this new power mainly to board ships in harbor, and seize any property they deemed to be smuggled or illegal whether it was or not.

5 Quartering Act (1767) The Quartering Act, passed in 1767, required that colonists living in the American colonies had to provide housing, candles, bedding, and beverages for the British soldiers stationed in America. Colonists affected by this act, mainly in Boston, were especially offended as they were now being required to house the soldiers that were there to enforce the various new laws that they hated.

6 Tea Act/Boston Tea Party (1773) Wood Engraving of the Boston Tea Party The Tea Act, passed in 1773, allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the public without going through local merchants. Despite the fact that it actually lowered the price of tea in the colonies, it was met with great anger by colonists supporting the tea merchants that had been put out of business. Protests often became violent, and culminated in the Boston Tea Party, in which members of the American Patriot group the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded a ship, and dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor.

7 Intolerable Acts (1774) Political cartoon illustrating some of the results, figuratively, of the Intolerable Acts The Intolerable Acts, as they were known in the colonies, were retribution by the British government for the Boston Tea Party. They consisted of 4 actions: 1. Boston Harbor was blockaded until the tea was paid for 2. Massachusetts settlements could now only have one town hall meeting a year 3. British officials charged with crimes in the colonies would be placed on trial in Britain 4. An expansion of the Quartering Act as more troops were sent to Boston

8 Boston Massacre (1770) Newspaper reproduction of Paul Revere s famous depiction of the Boston Massacre British soldiers standing guard outside the Boston Customs House were surrounded by a mob of protesters. Tempers flared, and objects were being thrown from the crowd at the soldiers. In the chaos, violence broke out and shots were fired, leaving 5 colonists dead. Word of the shootings spread through the 13 colonies like wildfire. The soldiers were placed on trial several months later, and 6 of the 8 were found not guilty.