Proclamation of 1763

1
Proclamation of 1763

• British Action
• Banned all settlement west of the Appalachian
  Mountains

• Colonial Reaction
• Colonists felt that Britain did not really care
  about the success of the colonists
• British couldnt enforce it- Colonists moved
  anyways

2
Writs of Assistance

• British Action
• British search warrant in American colonies in
  1760s signed by King George III
• First introduced in Massachusetts in 1751
• Allowed for any British officer to search any
  house or ship for smuggled goods

• Colonial Reaction
• Boston Merchants OUTRAGED!!

3
Sugar Act 1764

• British Action
• Cut the tax in half for foreign made molasses
• placed duties on other imports
• allowed smugglers to be prosecuted in British
  Courts
• Smugglers tried by Admiralty Courts- NOT JURIES

• Colonial Reaction
• Colonists felt laws were unfair
• Angry that bureaucracy doubled in size to collect
  taxes arrest smugglers

4
Stamp Act March 1765

• British Action
• 1st DIRECT tax on colonists
• Required special stamped paper for legal
  documents

• Colonial Reaction
• Stamp Act Protests- colonists unite- Mobs
• Sons of Liberty created prone to violence
  Sam Adams leader in Boston
• Colonists harassed customs workers stamp agents
  
• Virginia passed ordinance that stated only
  Virginia assembly could tax colonists
• Stamp Act Congress- issued Declaration of Rights
  Grievances said Parliament could NOT tax
  colonists b/c they were not represented

• British Action AFTER
• Parliament repealed the Stamp Act Passed the
  DECLARATORY ACT- says Parliament can do whatever
  they want

5
Townshend Acts 1767

• British Action
• Taxes on imported goods- paper, paint, glass,
  tea, etc.
• INDIRECT TAX
• for Colonial governors officials

• Colonial Reaction
• NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
• Boycotts against imported goods
• Smuggling goods
• Daughters of Liberty Spinning bees

6
Boston Massacre March 1770

• British Action
• Fight broke out b/c of job competition between
  colonists British soldiers
• Crispus Attucks 4 other unarmed colonists
  taunted then killed by armed British guards

• Colonial Reaction
• Sam Adams other colonists called it a
  massacre to try stir up hatred for the
  British
• Committees of Correspondence start writing
  letters to communicate between colonies about
  threats to liberty

• BRITISH ACTION AFTER.
• Repeal Townshend Acts Remove Troops - well
  except for the TEA Act

7
Tea Act - 1773

• British Action
• British East India company was suffering from
  colonial Boycotts- allowed them to sell tea to
  colonists tax free lowered price but
• Tea Act cut colonial merchants out of the tea
  trade

• Colonial Reaction
• Boston Tea Party
• December 16, 1773
• Group of Boston rebels disguised as Native
  Americans dumped 18,000 pounds of tea into the
  Boston Harbor

8
Intolerable (Coercive) Acts 1774

• British Action
• Response to Boston Tea Party
• Shut down Boston Harbor
• Quartering Act
• Boston under Martial Law
• Thomas Gage made Governor of Massachusetts

• Colonial Reaction
• Further infuriation
• 1st Continental Congress September 1774
• Declaration of Colonial Rights Grievances-
  condemned Coercive acts, denied Parliaments
  right to tax colonies, but promised obedience to
  the King
• If British use force against colonists- they WILL
  fight back

9
Lexington Concord

• Gov. Gage found out minutemen were stockpiling
  weapons in Concord Lexington military
  preparations
• British planed to march from Boston to Concord to
  seize the weapons
• April 18, 1775 - Paul Revere went to alert
  colonists of British plan
• April 19, 1775 shots fired _at_ Lexington only
  lasts 15 minute
• No shots fired _at_ Concord
• British Redcoats marched back to Boston met
  3,000-4,000 minutemen
• Humiliating day for well trained British soldiers