Colonial Resistance Grows Ch. 9, Sec. 3, Part II Examine the Townshend Acts and how the colonies protested against Great Britain. Research and explain the “Boston Massacre.”

The Townshend Acts After the uproar over the Stamp Act, Great Britain hoped to avoid any further conflict in the colonies. But, it still needed to raise money to pay off the war debt. In 1767, the Townshend Acts were passed. 1) The New York colonial assembly was suspended. 2) Import taxes were placed on glass, paper, paint, lead, tea and other products. 3) British officers could use special, writs of assistance, or search warrants to enter homes and business to look for smuggled goods. Protests all across the colonies immediately broke out over this new act. Another mass colonial boycott of British goods was called.

The Boston Massacre March 5, 1770

The “Massacre” In the fall of 1768, an additional 1,000 British regulars arrived in Boston to keep the peace. With their arrival, tension and resentment filled the city. It came to an exploding point on March 5 th, 1770 when violence finally broke out. When a large crowd of Bostonians turned into a violent mob, several British soldiers opened fire on them, killing five and wounding several more. The act was called a “massacre” by the Americans and used as propaganda.

Massacre? The Sons of Liberty exploited the shootings for all it was worth. The Boston Massacre became a symbol of British tyranny in the colonies. Incredibly, all of the British soldiers were put on trial for murder some weeks later. They were found not guilty by their lawyer, John Adams.

The Tea Act, 1773 This act forbade any other tea in the colonies save for that coming from Great Britain. This was despite the fact that tea was imported into the colonies from other nations at cheaper prices.

The Boston Tea Party Protests over the Tea Act sparked protests all over the colonies. In Boston, the Sons of Liberty organized what became known later as, “The Boston Tea Party.” On December 16 th, 1773, several colonials disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships in the harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Atlantic Ocean. This made a huge impact back in London. The colonists would have to pay for what they had done.

Protest in North Carolina Although not directly involved with issues taking place in the Northern Colonies, a large number of North Carolinians did support the Patriot cause and their protests of British policies by boycotting all British goods. The Edenton Tea Party A year after the Boston Tea Party, a group of ladies in North Carolina decided to show their support for the Patriot cause and hosted their own party. Led by Mrs. Penelope Barker, 51 other women gathered in Edenton and pledged to support the American cause in any way possible. This action was significant because it was one of the first protests organized by women in the colonies.

Further Unrest in North Carolina Beginning in 1768, a series of incidents and confrontations between the western famers and common folk and the wealthy, eastern political officials reached a climax. One of the many issues was a tax to pay for the new palace for Governor Tryon in New Bern. A poll tax, or a tax on all at the same rate citizens was also passed.

The Regulators The poll tax for the lavish and unnecessary palace was the last straw for many. For years, many citizens had been organizing opposition to the abuses of power by many of the local officials. The Regulators were formed in 1768 to “regulate government officials and their gross abuses of power and position.” In addition to Governor Tryon, the Regulators directly challenged Edmund Fanning, a corrupt government official from Hillsborough. In 1770, 150 Regulators broke into the Orange County Courthouse and literally dragged Judge Fanning from the bench by his heels. They then took him outside and spanked him in front of the townspeople with sticks and switches.

Edmund Fanning of Hillsborough

The Battle of Alamance With this action, Governor Tryon could not ignore such vigilante justice in the state. In May 16th, 1771, Governor Tryon used over 1400 soldiers from the the state militia to track down and corner the Regulators who were encamped near Alamance Creek, near present-day Greensboro. After a nearly two-hour battle, Tryon and the militia defeated the Regulators. The Regulator movement came to a close, but there were still deep divisions between the west and the east and the rich and the poor. These issues would come out once again in the upcoming Revolutionary War.