Pre-Revolution Taxes and Acts Take notes on pg. 18 of your ISN Important information is highlighted.

Taxes There were 2 reasons why Britain taxed goods. Reduce the national debts from the French and Indian War Increase the price of non-British goods so people will buy British stuff in the Colonies You could avoid these taxed goods by smuggling into the colonies. Taxes Many people (like John Hancock) made fortunes by smuggling goods into the colonies.

Sugar Act (1764) The Sugar Act brought the price of Caribbean Molasses from 6 cents to 3 cents However, it started to crack down on smuggling, forcing colonist to buy only British sugar. Smugglers were also harshly punished by the British, something the colonists didn’t really enforce.

Stamp Act (1765) All paper had to carry a stamp, and it was purely a source of making money for Britain. Effected paper users, like lawyers and newspaper owners. People began boycotting goods through coordinated efforts, lead by the Sons of Liberty (Sam Adams and John Hancock). It got the average colonist against taxes. The boycott worked and the Stamp Act was repealed.

Quartering Act (1765) Quartering: the house troops in your home We’ll talk more about the Quartering Acts when we discuss the Intolerable Acts, but it is considered a “TAX” because of the impact on colonist. When you needed to “quarter” or house British Troops, it cost the colonists money. “Colonists were also told to furnish the soldiers with, ‘candles, firing, bedding, cooking utensils, salt, vinegar, and … beer or cider.’” It cost money, money that would have originally come from a tax. The invasion of privacy and the disguised tax increased tensions for all sides.

Tea Act (1773) Britain wanted to sell off the East India Company’s tea (a British company) so they lowered the price of tea, but kept the tax, so Britain and the East India Company could make money. The tea cut into the profits of smugglers and colonial merchants, but most people were against taxes on principle at this point. Tea was a key part of British culture, this tax was insulting on a personal/cultural level. As a result, people moved to coffee as a substitute, it was even declared the national drink at the Continental Congress.

The REAL Burden of Taxes Note: A sterling pound back then was ABOUT $25.00-$30.00 today. Multiply Column 7 by $25.00 to see how much the colonist paid in taxes. (about $200) Column 8 is how much more the British were paying in taxes (about $6,000)

The Ultimate Lesson about Taxes… The colonists weren’t angry with the taxes, they were mostly angry with the lack of representation in parliament. This anger was encouraged by patriot leaders who had other motivations. Smugglers like John Hancock, the rich, and the educated spread the word about freedom, liberty and the unfair taxes to get the average person engaged. In the end, the colonist began to reject British taxes and political control, and people sought independence from the British. The Ultimate Lesson about Taxes…