#811 Road To Steal America from Britain by Aidan Copeland

Proclamation of 1763

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-09 19:03:26 UTC

The Proclamation was put into play on October 7, 1763, by King George III, after Great Britain took Frenchs territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian war. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 made it so settlers can't settle past a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains. The purpose for the Proclamation line was to organize Great Britain's new North American Empire and to stabilize relations with Native North Americans through regulation of trade, settlement, and land purchases on the western frontier.

The Quartiring Act of 1765

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-10 18:53:55 UTC

On the day of may 3,1765, Parliament passed the Quartering Act. The Quartering Act required the colonies to house British Soldiers in barracks provided by the colonists. If the barracks did not fill all of the Soldiers then the left over would go and rest at local inns, colonists houses, etc. If all the houses, inns etc. where filled up then they would have to sleep in barns, or any place closed area that they could sleep in. The colonists had disliked these laws and would rebel and start riots. Later the British had removed the Quartering Act on January 2, 1764.

The Sugar Act

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-11 02:02:51 UTC

The Sugar act was a British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain, it was designed so they can raise revenue from the American Colonists in the 13 colonies. It was set in place on April 5, 1764. The tax put a three-cent tax on foreign refined sugar and increased taxes on coffee, indigo, and certain kinds of wine. It also banned French Wine and foreign rum importation. This didn't really affect all of the colonists, it mainly affected merchants, and farmers. The colonists reacted by boycotting the English products, which hurt Britain financially. The British parliament repealed the Sugar act after constant complaints due to financial consequences of the boycotts.

The Stamp Act

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-11 02:13:03 UTC

The stamp act was set into place by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. This tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper that they used. Ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even play cards where taxed. The money that was collected from the stamp act was used to help pay costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian mountains. The cost of the Stamp Act wasnt that big, what made the colonists so angry about the law was the standard it seemed to set. In the past, taxes on colonial trade had always been viewed as measures to regulate commerce not to raise money. But the Stamp Act was set into place to raise money for the soldiers, and what ticked off the colonists was that Britain did not get the approval of the colonial legislatures. The colonists reacted through debates in colonial legislatures, written documents, mob/crowd actions such as tarring a stamp act tax collector and putting feathers on him/her. The act was repealed in March 1766

Stamp Act Congress

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-11 02:33:12 UTC

The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting held between October 7 and 25, 1765 in New York City. The Stamp Act Congress consisted of representatives from some of the colonies in North America. It was the first ever gathering of elected representatives from several American colonies. They wanted to devise a unified protest against a new British tax that British had set in place. The Congress met in the building known as Federal Hall, and was held at a time of protests all over the 13 colonies, some that were violent. The delegates discussed and united against the act, issuing a Declaration of Rights and Grievances in which they claimed that Parliament did not have the right to impose tax because it did not include any representation from the colonies. This caused alarm in Britian, but any discussion about this was overtaken by economic protest from British merchants. These economic issues made it so Britain repealed the Stamp Act

The Declaratory Act

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-11 02:42:47 UTC

The American Colonies Act 17766, which is commonly known as the Declaratory Act, was an act set in place by the Parliament of Great Britain, which was set right after the day of the repeal of the Stamp Act. The Declaratory Act stated that “Had hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America…. in all cases whatsoever.” There was no immediate reaction to the Declaratory Act, because most colonists were too busy celebrating over there political win against Britain. Some felt that it meant taxes would be levied soon, while others were unsure. However, when Parliament asserted in 1767 that they could pass any laws by the majority, the colonies were infuriated.

The Townshend acts

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-11 18:30:12 UTC

After the colonists freaked out over the Stamp Act, Britain hoped to avoid any other conflict. But Britain still needed to raise money for their troops because the Quartering Act was not working. The kings finance minister, Charles Townshend told Parliament and the King that he knew a way to raise money in the colonies. The first Townshend Act suspended New Yorks assembly until they would house the British troops. The other taxes that were set in place set duties, or import taxes on various goods brought into the colonies from other countries. The Parliament of Great Britain thought that duties, which were collected before the goods were able to enter the colonies would not anger the colonists as much as a direct tax would do. The money raised from the Townshend Act would be used to pay British governors and other officials in the colonies. Protests immediately broke out after the colonies heard of the townshend acts, the colonists in New York where angry that they had suspended their elected assembly, and John Dickinson said that “The issue is whether parliament can legally take money out of our pockets without our consent. The colonists in Boston started another boycott of British goods, and the main driving force of these protests was Samuel Adams, a leader of the Boston Sons of Liberty. He told the colonists not to sell goods to the British and the Colonists and British trade fell dramatically. The Townshend acts were repealed the same day the Boston massacre happened which was on March 5, 1770

Boston Masacare

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-11 18:51:11 UTC

On March 5, 1770, a group of youths and dockworkers started yelling insults at the British soldiers in front of the custom house. People don't really know what happened but one of the soldiers fired there gun and the other soldiers started firing to. Some think that the colonists through clubs and snowballs with rocks in them and others think British fired with no reason. After the “massacre” there were 5 deaths and few injuries. The colonists were outraged, and the redcoats that had murdered the colonists were arrested for murder. The Sons of Liberty called it the boston massacre, and this became a tool for anti British propaganda. John Adams, a lawyer and cousin to Samuel Adams defended the British in court. John Adams argued that the soldiers were acting in self-defense, which the jury agreed. The British were set free and returned back to Britain because they did not feel safe there.

The Tea Act

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 00:56:32 UTC

The Tea Act was put in place on may 10, 1773. After the Parliament of Great Britain repealed the Townshend Acts they removed all the taxes but on, which was the tea tax. They did this to show the colonists that they still have authority to tax the colonists. The Tea Act gave British East India Company control over the American tea trade. The tea that arrived in the colonies came from there companys ship and sold to their merchants. Colonists who had smuggled tea would now have to pay the tax since they weren't able to smuggle the tea anymore. This Tea Act enraged colonial shippers and merchants.

The Boston Tea Party

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 01:05:17 UTC

Protests against the Tea Act were happening all over the colonies, but by far the largest protest was called the Boston Tea Party. On december 16, 773, a group of men that had disguised as Native Americans, boarded three tea ships docked in the Boston Harbor. That night they destroyed 342 chests of tea by throwing it in the Boston Harbor. Some people thought that destroying their property wasn't the best way to settle this tax, and some people agreed with them and what they did.

The Intolerable Acts

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 01:13:55 UTC

The Boston tea party had infuriated Britain, one of the British officials said that the people of Boston “ ought to be knocked about their ears.” King George said, “ We must master them or totally leave them to themselves and treat them as aliens.” Britain had chose to “master” the colonies. So in 1774 , Parliament passed a series of laws to punish the Massachusetts colony and serve as a warning to the other colonies for what they had done with the tea. One of the several acts said that the Boston port until they had paid all the tea that they had destroyed. Another of the acts banned committees of correspondence, which allowed Britain to house troops anywhere, and also let British officials accused of crimes in the colonies be tried in Britain. To enforce the Intolerable acts they sent General Thomas Gage governor of Massachusetts who was appointed by Parliament. Other colonies offered their support immediately after these acts, they sent food and money to Boston. The colonies also called for a meeting of delegates to discuss what is happening

The First Continental Congress

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 01:24:20 UTC

In September 1774, delegates from all over the colonies except for Georgia met in philadelphia. This meeting was called the First Continental Congress, The delegates that had met there voted to ban all trade with Britain until the Intolerable acts were repealed. They also asked each colony to start training troops. Georgia had agreed on parts of the actions that the Congress is setting in place. The First Continental Congress. The First Continental Congress marked a big step in American history, though most of the delegates weren't ready to call for independence they were ready to uphold their rights. The delegates then agreed to meet in seven months if necessary, but by that time the Colonies and Britain were already at war.

Lexington and Concord

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 01:26:05 UTC

At dawn on April 9, about 700 British troops reached Lexington. They were confronted by Captain John Parker and about 70 militiamen, the British commander asked for the rebels/militiamen to put their guns down but they declined. No one really knows who fired first, but within several minutes 8 militiamen lay dead on the ground. Then the British marched to Concord where they had destroyed the colonial military supplies. A battle then broke out and it forced the British to retreat, then nearly 4,000 Minutemen and militiamen arrived in the Area. They lined the road from Concord to Lexington and attacked the British redcoats that were retreating, Only the arrival of 1,000 more british soldiers had saved them. Lexington and Concord where the fisrt battles of the Revolutionary War.

The Sons of Liberty

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 04:51:18 UTC

The Sons of Liberty was a secret society thats one and only goal was to protect the Colonies rights. There group started when the Stamp act was set in place. They are best known for their parts in the Boston Tea Party, which was because of the Tea Act. The main people of the Sons of Liberty where , Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, James Otis, Paul Revere, and Doctor Joseph Warren. The Sons of Liberty where a big part in the Revolutionary War because they put out propaganda that gained them followers, and they had contacts with newspaper writers so they could put stuff on the newspapers.

Boycotts

aidansc_2000 — 2014-12-12 05:05:03 UTC

A boycott was a voluntary restrainment of using, buying, or dealing with another person, or country as an act of protests. This was used in the colonies a lot and was very helpful. In many of the acts such as the Townshend acts, Sugar Acts etc. This hurt Britain's economy a lot so they would have to remove the Acts that they had set in place which gave the colonies more motivation to fight back and uphold their rights.