The Colonies and Britain Grow The Colonies and Britain Grow ApartApart

• Colonist’s were used to the “hands off” policy

• Britain needed to raise money to pay off war debt

• New laws and restrictions threatened their freedom

Westward Expansion RestrictedWestward Expansion Restricted

• King George III issued Proclamation of 1763

• King kept 10,000 soldiers in colonies to enforce Proclamation

• Housing the troops was expensive so…–Quartering Act–Colonists were required to house and feed

the soldiers

Parliament Taxes the ColonistsParliament Taxes the Colonists• 1764: Sugar Act

– Placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped to the colonies

• 1765: Stamp Act– All legal documents had to have a stamp placed on

them showing a tax had been paid (wills, contracts, diplomas, newspapers)

• Parliament- seemed reasonable to have colonies help pay for a war that protected them

• Colonists- serious threats to their political rights– Parliament did not have the right (assembly’s job)– No tax should be created without consent

Colonists Defy ParliamentColonists Defy Parliament• “No taxation without representation!”• Patrick Henry demanded resistance• Form Stamp Act Congress 1765

– Delegates from 9 colonies– First time colonists united to oppose Britain

• Form Sons of Liberty– To oppose British policies– Encouraged people to attack British officials and

burn stamps (many officials quit and went back to England)

Colonists Threaten British ProfitsColonists Threaten British Profits

• Protests were bitter, loud, and at times violent• Boycotts were the most effective

– Hoped that merchants would suffer and appeal to the Parliament to repeal the Acts

– Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766– Parliament passed the Declaratory Act

• Parliament has the supreme authority to govern the colonies

Tightening British ControlTightening British Control

• Britain hoped to avoid further conflicts with the colonies after the Stamp and Sugar Acts

• But still felt they needed to control them• So…

– Passed the Declaratory Act (1766)• No new taxes• Declared that Parliament had the right to make laws over

the colonies

– Did not anger most colonists– Just ignored the act and went on with their lives

The Townshend Acts are The Townshend Acts are PassedPassed

• Britain still needed money

• Charles Townshend (finance minister in Britain)–Proposed new strategy of duties–Townshend Acts

• Placed duties or taxes on imports such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea

• Allowed British officers to issue writs of assistance, or search warrants

Anger Over the Townshend Anger Over the Townshend ActsActs

• Colonists were furious that Parliament passed a tax without their consent again

• “No Taxation Without Representation!”• Protests began• Colonists believed that local officials should have

the right to make laws and taxes, not British Parliament

• They were angry about the writs of assistance, believed they were against their natural rights– John Locke’s Natural Rights

• Life• Health• Liberty• Possessions

JOHN DICKINSONJOHN DICKINSON PENNSYLVANIA PENNSYLVANIA

LAWYERLAWYER

“We cannot be happy without being free… we cannot be free without

being secure in our property… we cannot be secure in our property, if

[taxed] without our consent”

Colonists ProtestColonists Protest• Colonists began to unite against Britain

– Form the Daughters of Liberty to encourage colonists to weave their own cloth

• Colonial leaders urged people to remain calm– “No mobs”– “Constitutional methods are best”

• British officials asked for more troops• Samuel Adams

– Leader of Sons of Liberty and wanted peace– “We will destroy every soldier that dare put his foot on

shore… I look upon them as foreign enemies!”

The Boston MassacreThe Boston Massacre

• Fall of 1768– 1,000 additional British soldiers (Redcoats) arrive in

Boston under General Thomas Gage– Tensions erupted into violence

• March 5, 1770– Group of colonists surround soldiers– Groups began insulting and throwing snowballs– Crowd grew larger– Soldiers fired into crowd, killing 5 including Crispus

Attucks– People of Boston were outraged

Paul Revere’s Paul Revere’s The Bloody MassacreThe Bloody Massacre

A different portrayalA different portrayal

The Boston MassacreThe Boston Massacre

• Attucks and the other 4 victims were portrayed as heroes

• Soldiers were arrested and charged with murder• John Adams agreed to defend soldiers in court

– Received many threats– Believed everyone deserved a fair trial– Argued the soldiers acted in self-defense– Jury agreed and did not convict the soldiers