o Don't have any reps in Parliament, only in Colonial Legislatures
o TAXATION W/O REPRESENTATION
o No right to tax, because no say
o Should only be taxed by a "duly elected legislature"
o Parliament goes too far and violates more rights:
§ Writs of assistance: custom officers allowed to search ships for no reason
§ Quartering acts: must let soldier stay in your house
§ Declaratory acts: Parliament makes the decisions and colonies must obey
§ Denied trial by jury when caught smuggling or disobeying Stamp Act
§ Townshend Acts
· Military judges
· No legislature (in MA); dictator
· No public assembly
§ Soldiers
· Put into colonies to enforce laws
· Taxes paying for them
· “No standing army in peacetime without consent”
§ NONE OF THESE WOULD FLY IN ENGLAND
1. G. Washington captured by French in (ORV, 1754)
2. French and Indian War (North America, 1754 – 1759)
3. Seven Years War (England/France – global, 1756 – 1763)
4. Pontiac’s War: Native Americans attach British (ORV, 1759 – 1763)
5. Treaty of Paris: ends F+I and 7 Years War (1763)
6. Proclamation of 1763: settlements banned in ORV (1763)
7. Sugar Act: pays for soldiers and war debt (1764)
* England changing policy with colonies (active role)
a. Tax colonies to help pay war debt
b. War started in America
c. America benefited: no French treat in North Americ
8. Stamp Act (repealed in 1766)
9. Declaratory Act: Parliament in charge and colonies must obey (1766)
10. Townshend Acts (1767)
a. tax on household goods: lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea
b. 100% control of docks
11. March 5, 1770
a. Parliament repeals most of the Townshend Acts (but tea tax)
b. Boston Massacre: 6 protestors shot and killed in streets of Boston
12. Tea Act: 1773: lowers price of tea, but still taxed
13. Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773)
14. Intolerable Acts: shuts down Boston Harbor… (1774)
- Tax:
o Revenue tax
o Tax on all legal documents, newspapers, and playing cards and dice: Tax on nothing
- Enforced:
o Each city has stamp collector, stamps papers
o If accused, denied trial by jury
- Colonial reaction:
o Angry
- First effort to raise money by taxing them directly
- Violated rights of the colonists as British citizens
o Sons of Liberty: protested, encouraged others to boycott, intimidated stamp collectors (threatened them, e.g. tarred and feathered)
o Stamp Act Congress (1765): delegates from 9 colonies met in New York – Issued Stamp Act violation of rights and liberties, asked Parliament to repeal
o Repealed in 1766
- Tax:
o Tax on household goods: lead, paper, paint, glass, and tea
- Enforced:
o Increase in military presence in the colonies
o All docks (and warehouses) under British control
o Writs of assistance
- Gives custom officers right to search ships for any/no reason.
- Anyone caught smuggling is put on trial in Nova Scotia, without a jury, and are guilty until they prove themselves innocent. Even if innocent, the goods and the ship are confiscated
- Colonial reaction:
o More anger
o Daughters of Liberty: boycott – not buying any British goods
o Sons of Liberty: Non-importation agreement
- petition to stop store keepers from selling British goods
- “Strongly suggested” to sign
- Repealed in 1773 -> Tea Act
- After Boston Tea Party, Parliament furious
- Law:
o Boston Harbor shutdown
o Quartering Act
- Colonists must house, feed, supply soldiers
o All public assemblies banned
o a. Boston judges replaced with British appointed judges
o b. British solders have their “trial” in England (just let it go)
o In place until dumped tea paid for: (valued to about $200,000)
- Enforced
o British navy = blockade in Boston Harbor
o 8000 troops sent to colonies