Chapter 3-The Oppressive Acts

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Proclamation of 1763

• Closed the newly acquired landwest of the Appalachians to all

colonists• Colonists felt they had fought

for the right to settle this area



The Sugar Act- 1764

• Replaced the Molasses Act- 1733 – A tax of sixpence per gallon imported from the

West Indies

– Hardly enforced by the British government

• British treasurer (George Grenville)lowered the duty to threepence a gallon –

Intention was to strictly enforce the tax – Argued that the Empire had aided the colonists in

their struggle against the French and Indians



The Quartering Act of 1765

• Required colonists to givelodging and food toBritish soldiers nowstationed in America after

the French and Indian War



The Stamp Act of 1765

–Required colonists to buya stamp for every legal

document, newspaper,pamphlet, almanac, privatelicense, or even playing

cards



Colonial Reaction to theStamp Act

• Resulted in the Stamp Act Congresswho wrote a document declaring thatEnglish Parliament had no authority to

tax them without their representation inParliament

–The new colonial battle cry-

–

“No taxation without representation!”



Colonial Reaction to theStamp Act

• Established the Sons of Liberty

–Formed by the richest and most

respectable colonists –Terrorized British agents who

enforced the Stamp Act



The Declaratory Act- 1766

• Repeal of the Stamp Act- 1766 –Colonial pressure caused Parliament

to stop collecting this tax• Established the Declaratory Act

–Parliament declared their right to

make laws for the Americans “in allcases whatsoever”



The Townshend Acts of

1767 • Tax on paint, lead, glass, paper, and tea

• Created Writs of Assistance

–

The right of customs officials to searchprivate homes and businesses to look forsmuggled goods

• Colonists responded with a boycott on

all taxed goods



The Boston Massacre 1770

• Unruly Boston crowd of colonists began tothrow snowballs, sticks, and rocks at theBritish regulars stationed in their town

•

As the crowd grew more aggressive, thecolonists were fired upon by English soldiers

– Five killed, others were wounded



The Boston Massacre 1770

• Colonial rebels turned the eventinto a propaganda opportunity – Paul Revere hastily created an engraving

depicting the event worse than what it was – Samuel Adams created the Committees of

Correspondence in which written articlesand letters spoke of the poor treatment of

the Bostonians by the British soldiers



Townshend Acts Repealed

• Through pressure from thecolonists, the Townshend Acts

were repealed• Only the tax on tea remained

–Particularly egregious because of the

amount of tea that the colonistsdrank



Townshend Acts Repealed • The situation was made worse by

the failing British East India

Company –Parliament seized upon the

opportunity to force the tea upon the

colonists and had the company sailtheir ships and product into theBoston Harbor



The Boston Tea Party 1773

• Arranged by Samuel Adams,American colonists boarded

an English ship loaded withtea to be sold to the

colonists and dumped it allinto the Boston Harbor



The Intolerable Acts- 1774

• British government reacts to the “Tea Party”

with two particularly harsh acts known as theCoercive Acts

• Boston Port Bill – Closed down the harbor and established martial

law within the colony

–Reduced elected assemblies’ powers

– Forbade towns to hold the meetings in which NewEngland towns normally conducted their affairs



The Intolerable Acts- 1774 • Quebec Act

– Canceled all American colonial westernland claims by extending the boundaries

of Quebec• South to the Ohio River and west to the

Mississippi River

–

Established Catholicism as the mainreligion of the territory



The First Continental Congress

• Philadelphia- September, 1774• Delegates from 12 colonies

– Georgia did not attend

•

Declared the Intolerable Acts null andvoid• Wrote a petition to the King of England

for fair and peaceful treatment

• Established an embargo againstEngland• Called on each colony to begin training

soldiers for their defense



The First Continental Congress

• Created the Declaration and Resolves inwhich they argued…

– Ancestors were given rights as

Englishmen – Descendants deserve the same rights

– Representation in Parliament is an English

right – Recognized the king as their authority, but

not Parliament• No representation there

Chapter 3-The Oppressive Acts

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