Causes of the American Revolution
Katie Cole 1763-1776
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were created to put Mercantilism into action in . The colonists' goods that were shipped to other countries had to first go through England, and crops such as sugar and tobacco had to be shipped within the empire. One Navagation Act was the Sugar Act, created in 1733, which outlawed the importation of sugar from the French West Indies. These acts stifled colonial manufacturing, and increased resentment against England.
The Proclamation of 1763
The Proclamation of 1763 was created after French and Indian War. King George III issued the proclamation to avoid more conflict with the Native Americans. The colonists disregarded the proclamation and were unhappy with British control.
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act, created in 1765 by Parliament, taxed everything printed on paper. The Stamp Act was created to pay off debts from the French and Indian War. Samuel Adams worked with the Committees of Correspondence to protest and boycott this act. Samuel Adams also created the Sons of Liberty, whose purpose was to protest the Stamp Act, sometimes violently. The colonies decided to hold a meeting called the Stamp Act Congress. At this congress, they decided that only the colonial government could tax the colonies. They sent a letter to King George III and Benjamin Franklin addressed the Parliament. Due to this and all the boycotting, King George III repealed the Stamp Act.
Quartering Act
The Quartering Act, created by Parliament in 1765, stated that the colonists were required to house and feed British soldiers. The Quartering Act also allowed soldiers to search colonists' houses whenever they wanted due to writs of assistance, or blank search warrants. The colonists didn't like the Quartering Act because it took away their rights to their home, and it was costly to house the soldiers.
Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts, created by Parliament in 1767, taxed imported goods such as tea, glass, and paper. The Daughters of Liberty protested the Townshend Acts by making their own cloth. Even though the Townshend Acts were repealed in 1770, the British government continued to tax tea. The Sons of Liberty were angered at the continued taxation of the colonies, and attacked the homes of British officials and colonial tax collectors as well as continuing to protest.
Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, and angry mob of colonists were arguing with an angry mob of soldiers, and then the soldiers fired shots into the crowd. A total of five died, so the term "massacre" is exaggerated. Samuel Adams used the Boston Massacre for propaganda to promote anti-British feelings in the colonies. His cousin John Adams represented the soldiers in their trial to show that colonists value the right to a trial by jury.
Tea Act and the Boston Tea Party
The Tea Act made the British East India Company the only company that could sell tea to the colonists. The colonists were upset that they still had to pay import taxes to Britain. The Sons of Liberty responded by dressing up as Indians and and going aboard a tea-carrying British ship. Once on board, They dumped 342 crates of British tea into the Boston Harbor. This was known as the Boston Tea party.
Coercive Acts
The Coercive Acts, created by Parliament in 1774, were created to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party as well as planning other attacks. These laws stopped all trade in Boston, did not allow town meetings, gave Britain control of the colony, and strengthened the Quartering Act. The colonists called these laws the Intolerable Acts because they were so harsh. After it was basically shut down, the other colonies helped to support Boston.
The American Revolution
The American Revolution was a fight between the colonies and Britain. After the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists grew angry and bitter with England. They didn't think it was fair that they had to pay taxes and the British people didn't, because they were all born in England. Economic tension started with the Navigation Acts, and grew as Britain exercised more and more control over the colonies. The unfair acts caused the colonists to take action in order to protect their rights. I think the colonists had every right to fight back, because they weren't represented and Parliament, and therefore were just being used against their will.