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Chapter 5
Turmoil Over Taxation
• Britain now had a huge national debt• George III insisted on keeping the
largest peacetime army in British history– on active duty
• supposedly to protect the Native Americans from frontiersman and to preserve order in the newly acquired territories of Florida and Quebec – helped to fuel the financial crisis
• Britain didn’t even leave enough troops to maintain peace on the frontier and the natives began to rebel against the incursions by colonial settlers
Pontiac’s War
• Chief Pontiac led attack on British troops at Fort Detroit
• after several skirmishes, Indians cannot count on help from French
• Indians stop fighting and leave
Proclamation of 1763
because of Pontiac’s War – British should not settle on western frontier
• imaginary line along crest of Appalachian Mountains
• forbid colonists to settle west of line• meant to bring order to western lands• 10,000 troops to enforce law
• colonists are angry– the land is theirs, why not settle it– must pay for additional troops
• many settlers ignore the proclamation and moved west anyway
• one colonist – Daniel Boone – crossed the Cumberland Gap, settled in Louisville, KY
New TAXES
French and Indian War – costly – put Britain deeply in debt
To pay for war – English Parliament approves new taxes
Sugar Act• new tax on molasses
(valuable in triangular trade)
• colonists avoided it by smuggling molasses into the colonies
• colonists bribed tax collectors
• tax was lowered to make it easier for British officials to bring smugglers to trial
Stamp Act
Parliament passed another tax• legal documents – wills, diplomas,
marriage papers, newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, dice
• all items had to carry a stamp showing that tax had been paid
tax used in Britain and other countries to raise money
MA – Lt. Gov Hutchinson – angered by taxes
• threw rocks at agents• tarred and feathered agents• riots in Boston, New York City,
Newport, CharlestonBritain – angry• spent a great deal of money to
protect colonies against the French• British at home paying much
higher taxes than the colonists
“NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION”
• colonists claimed the taxes went against the principle of no taxation without representation – based upon the Magna Carta
• only colonial representatives had the right to pass taxes
• colonists did not elect representatives to Parliament
• Parliament had no right to tax them• colonists willing to pay taxes if taxes were
passed by their own colonial legislature
Nine colonies sent delegates to NYC – Stamp Act Congress
• drew up petitions to King George III and to Parliament
• delegates rejected Stamp Act and stated that Parliament had no right to tax colonies
• Parliament ignored petition• colonists boycotted British goods• trade fell off by 14%, Parliament
repealed (canceled) the Stamp Act
Townshend Acts
Charles Townshend – in charge of British treasury
• taxed glass, paper, paint, lead, tea
• taxes were low – colonists still objected
• Parliament did not have the right to tax them without their consent
• new ways to collect taxes
Writs of Assistance• officers allowed to inspect ship’s
cargo without giving a reason• colonists protested – violated their
rights as British citizens• under British law, gov’t officials
could not search a person’s property without a good reason for suspecting a crime had been committed
Colonists signed agreements to stop importing goods taxed by Townshend Acts
Sons of Liberty – mock hangings, burn effigies – meant to threaten tax collectors
Daughters of Liberty – paraded, signed petitions, organized a boycott of British cloth
Key Players in the Colonies
Samuel Adams – Boston, MA –
against British
John Adams (cousin)important MA leader
– skilled lawyer
Mercy Otis Warren – wrote plays making
fun of British officials
Abigail Adams(wife of John)- wrote letter
supporting colonists and for greater rights for
women
George Washington – VA – protested
Townshend Acts
Patrick Henry – VA – speeches in
House of Burgesses
Thomas Jefferson – VA – supported colonists
Quartering Act
• colonists had to provide housing, candles, bedding, beverages, to soldiers stationed in the colonies
Boston Massacre
British troops in Boston protest customs officers
• night, March 5, 1770 – outside a Boston customs house
• colonists shouted insults at “lobsterbacks”– threw snowballs, oyster shells, chunks of
ice at soldiers
• soldiers panicked – fired into crowd• five people lay dead
– Samuel Maverick – 17 yr. old white youth– Crispus Attucks – African American sailor
• colonists protest incident – called it a massacre
Paul Revere – Boston silversmith created engraving showing British soldiers firing on unarmed colonists
Sam Adams – wrote letters to build outrage about shooting
• soldiers arrested – tried in court• John Adams – defended soldiers – they
deserved a fair trial– show the world that the colonists believed
in justice
• heaviest punishment – branding on the hand
Committee of Correspondence• wrote letters and pamphlets reporting to
other colonies on events in Massachusetts• major tool of protest in every colony
Parliament repealed most of the Townshend Acts
repealed Quartering Act
retained tax on tea – British still had power to tax colonies