Protesting British Rule
No Taxation without representation As taxes start to pile in for the colonists, they argue that they should not be taxed without having someone to represent their interests in parliament Virtual representation or implied representation isn’t enough!
The Taxes Sugar act (1764)- Tax on Molasses or sugar Quartering Act (1765)- Colonists can be forced to house and feed British soldiers Stamp act (1765)- only British stamps made documents legal and the stamp prices were high
Sons of liberty Men who resisted the stamp act with more than just peaceful protests They destroyed stamped paper and attacked the homes of British officers The stamp act was what finally brought the colonies together
Back to normal? In 1766, parliament repealed the stamp act Colonists rejoiced! Surely England would never try anything like this again The declaratory act-said that the British had every right to tax the colonists whenever they wanted
The Townshend Acts Charles Townshend wanted to punish the colonists for fighting the stamp act He got the British to place a tax on tea, glass, lead, and paint Colonists—men and women together boycott these products
The daughters of liberty Women who resisted the taxes as a united group They held “spinning bees” or gatherings where they would spin thread so as to not have to buy clothes from Britain
New Leaders emerging Sam adams- a vocal member of the sons of liberty who wrote newspaper articles attacking the stamp act Patrick henry- angry about taxation with no representation… “if this be treason…make the most of it”
And to top it off….no jury trials For those colonists who are caught smuggling or breaking the law, their rights were stripped away No jury of peers, but rather in “admiralty court” they were tried (these courts were operated by the british)