Road to the Revolutionary War Acts and Taxes

Road to the Revolutionary War: Acts and Taxes Ms. Koleczek/Mrs. Anderson Team Voyager

Words to Know! • Writ of assistance-legal document that enabled officers to search homes and warehouses for goods that might be smuggled • Internal tax- taxes paid inside the colonies • External tax- taxes paid when goods entered the colonies • Act- a legal document stating the ideas of a committee (In our case, taxes) • Coercive- to force someone to do something they do not want to do using intimidation (In our case, taxes)

Why Create the Acts? • Britain was in great debt after the French and Indian War – William Pitt (Secretary of State of Britain) used any measure possible to secure victory – Created a giant amount of debt for the country

Why Create the Acts? • Britain prohibited Colonists from moving west of the Appalachians to secure a constant trade source – To enforce this policy, the King placed 10, 000 troops at the border – How will the King pay his soldiers? Tax the Colonists!

Navigation Acts • Originally created in 1651 • Strictly enforced in 1760 by writs of assistance – Why? Starting to gain debt from the French and Indian War! • External tax • Purpose – Anything imported or exported from the Colonies had to be shipped on British ships – 75% of crew had to be British – ONLY ALLOWED COLONIES TO TRADE WITH BRITAIN!

The Sugar Act • Created in 1764 • External tax • Purpose – Lowered the tax on imported molasses • Hoped this would encourage Colonists to pay the tax and not smuggle cheaper sugar in from other countries – Allowed officers to seize (or take without permission) goods from smugglers without going to court – Also taxed: wine, whale fins, silk

The Currency Act • Created in 1764 • Got rid of Colonists’ form of money – What did the Colonists have to use now? British pound • The pound was based on gold, but there were not gold mines in the Colonies-Where did the colonies get the pounds? Britain shipped them over. • Why would this upset the Colonists? – They now had to depend on Britain for one more thing: their money source. They lost some independence!

The Stamp Act • Created in 1765 • First internal tax! • Purpose – Taxed most printed products: newspapers, wills, land deeds, legal documents and playing cards – All printed material received a stamp after tax was paid • Why did this upset the Colonists? – Taxed without consent – Britain interfered with colonial affairs – Boycotted (refused to buy) British and European goods • Repealed (canceled) because the merchants were losing business!

The Quartering Act • Created in 1765 • Purpose – Forced Colonists to provide housing and food to the troops • Why would this upset the Colonists? – Invasion of privacy – Financial burden on the Colonists

The Declaratory Act • Created in 1766 – Effective the day the Stamp Act was repealed • Purpose – British government could create laws WHENEVER and HOWEVER they wanted – Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for Colonies “in all cases. ”

The Townshend Acts • Created in 1767 • External tax • Purpose – Tax only imported goods like paint/oil, glass, tea and paper at port of entry (where ever the goods entered the colonies) • Any British tax angered Colonists – Boycotted – Daughters of Liberty made goods that were boycotted rather than buy the British goods

The Townshend Acts • The Boston Massacre – March 5, 1770 – Colonists were frustrated with the taxes and formed a mob outside the tax collectors’ customhouse, which was protected by British soldiers – Sticks and stones were thrown, which frightened the tax collector – A soldier was knocked down, which caused other soldiers to fire – Five Colonists were killed – Townshend Acts repealed, except for the tax on tea

The Tea Act • Created in 1773 • Purpose – To save the British East India Company – Allowed BEIC total trade control over tea trade in America – Actually lowered cost of tea – BEIC was able to sell directly to shopkeepers • Eliminated the merchants who normally distributed tea • Why would this upset the Colonists?

The Tea Act • The Boston Tea Party – December 16, 1773 – A group of male Colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians threw 342 chests of tea overboard • Why? ? ? • Colonists were boycotting and forcing ships to turn back • One ship did not, and the governor ordered it to be unloaded, which upset the Colonists

The Intolerable/Coercive Acts • Created in 1774 once King George III heard news of the Boston Tea Party – “We must master them or totally leave them alone” • Called Intolerable by Colonies • Purpose – Punish and isolate the people of Massachusetts for resistance • Other colonies supported Boston by sending them supplies – Closed Boston Harbor until Colonists paid for ruined tea – Took away rights • Banned town meetings in New England except for one a year • Forced to shelter troops

The Quebec Act • Created in 1774 • Purpose – Set up a government in Quebec – Gave Ohio River Valley to Quebec, which ignored the Colonists’ claims to the area