England had a large war debt and wanted the colonies to help pay for it! Parliament voted to tax the colonies directly!

Think about the 4th Amendment and writs of assistance. Is this legal? The tax collectors were empowered by using writs of assistance Writs of assistance were legal documents that allowed tax collectors to search for smuggled goods Think about the 4th Amendment and writs of assistance. Is this legal? Do you have rights? What about private property? What if you own it?

Sugar Act Sugar Act -1764- placed a tax on sugar, molasses and other products shipped to the colonies This act lowered the taxes on imported molasses. The hope was the colonist would buy imported Molasses, and quit smuggling it. This was aimed specifically at raising money (taxes) from the colonies

Sugar Tax song

The Sugar Act reduced trade from the colonies (particularly rum) The Sugar Act reduced trade from the colonies (particularly rum). Because foreign nations would have to pay higher prices, many of them traded with other nations

Colonial Response Colonists protested the act and called for a BOYCOTT on items The boycott began in Massachusetts and spread. Women used substitutes for British goods

British Reaction Prime Minister Grenville asked the colonists for a plan to pay military expenses and not receiving a satisfactory one, the prime minister proposed the Stamp Act.

Stamp Act 1765 Required colonists to get an official stamp or seal on all paper products! This outraged the colonist… They stated that only the Virginia State Legislature had the right to tax them (NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION)

ALL publications had to have a stamp This was a new kind of tax! ALL colonists had to pay Newspaper, pamphlets, wills, playing cards, dice

Sons of Liberty Secret Patriot organization established to undermine British rule in colonial America - many were lawyers, merchants, craftspeople Most famous members: Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock Purpose: staged protests against the act (not peaceful) burned the stamped paper attacked custom officials, tarred and feathered and then paraded in the streets many custom officials feared for their lives and quit!

The boycott resulted in a 14% drop in trade British merchants and workers suffered because of the boycott

William Pitt, popular Parliament leader, and others agreed with the Americans. England repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 BUT they passed the Declaratory Act which said that Parliament made the laws not the colonies!

placed taxes on glass, paper, lead, and tea Townshend Acts- 1767 placed taxes on glass, paper, lead, and tea Paid for military costs and the salaries of the colonial governors

Protest against the Townshend Acts began immediately… The DAUGTERS OF LIBERTY---began BOYCOTTS MERCY OTTIS WARREN---A LEADER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF LIBERTY…urged complete separation from Britain.