1. Colonial Resistance Grows Chapter 6 section 2
Road to Revolution
Colonial Resistance Grows
Chapter 6 section 2

2. The Townshend Acts Are Passed
Since the colonists were very upset by the Acts (Quartering Act, Stamp Act, Sugar Act) the British had imposed, some refused to abide by them. The king’s finance minister Charles Townshend proposed a new plan known as the Townshend Acts.

3. This Act suspended New York’s assembly until they agreed to house the troops and placed duties and import taxes on good brought into the colonies such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea.
Townshend thought these taxes and duties would anger the colonists less. (Duties are a type of tax that are determined by the state on imported good.)

4. The money raised by this Act would be used to pay British governors and officials salary in the Colonies.
To enforce this the British used writs of assistance or search warrants to search for smuggled goods.
Colonists were very upset by the new taxes and the writs of assistance. James Otis argued the writs went against their natural rights.
“no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions”-John Locke

5. Tools of Protest
Colonists in Boston began to boycott British goods in Samuel Adams the leader of the Sons of Liberty was the driving force.
He urged colonists to resist the British controls and the boycott spread.

6. The Sons of Liberty pressured shopkeepers to not sell imported goods and the Daughters of Liberty asked colonists to make their own clothes and only use American products.
Colonists tempers begin to rise and colonial leaders urged peaceful protest.

7. “
We will destroy every soldier that dares put his foot on shore… I will look upon them as foreign enemies.” –Samuel Adams
In Boston custom officers tried to seize the American merchant ship, Liberty carrying smuggled wine. When this happened a riot broke out and custom officials fled.
Officials called for more British troops and colonists continued their defiant actions.

8. The Boston Massacre March 5, 1770
Fall of 1768 General Thomas Gage arrives in Boston with 1,000 soldiers (know as redcoats).
Soldiers often worked at another job since their pay was so low but they worked for lower wages than Americans.
Soldiers were taunted by the colonist, soldiers would refer to the colonist as Yankees to insult them but colonists took it as a complement.

9. A group of youths and dock workers began trading insults in front of the customs house soon a fight broke out and Redcoats began firing.
5 people where killed.
Sons of Liberty called this the Boston Massacre.

10. The soldiers that fired were arrested and tried for murder.
John Adams ( Sam Adams cousin) , took the case and was criticized for this. Adams reply was “law should be deaf…to the clamors of the populace.”
John Adams was in support of the colonist but felt he had to show that they still followed the law.
He argued the soldiers acted out of self defense and the jury agreed.

11. Tea Act
On the day of the Boston Massacre Parliament proposed to repeal the Townshend Act.
The colonists boycotts had worked and all acts were repealed except for the tax on tea.
Parliament kept the tax to show they still had the right to tax colonists.

12. Samuel Adams sets up the committee of correspondence, this group exchanges letter between colonial cites about colonial affairs.
In 1773 Parliament passes the Tea Act.
This act gave the British Eat India Company control over American tea trade and the tea that was brought in was taxed.
The colonists had previously been smuggling most of their tea from Holland but only had access to the regulated tea.

13. Boston Tea Party December 16, 1773
People all over the colonies protested the Tea Act.
People in the city of Charleston South Carolina would unload the tea and let it rot on the docks.
In New York City and Philadelphia colonists blocked ships from docking.

14. In Boston the Sons of Liberty organize what becomes know as the Boston Tea Party.
A group of men disguised as Indians snuck on board three ships carrying tea in the harbor.
They threw all the tea over board the ships. They destroyed 342 chest of tea.
Some felt the it had shown the British how they felt about taxation without representation.
Others did not think it was the best way to settle the issue.

16. Some colonial leaders said they would pay for the destroyed to in exchange for Parliament repealing the act.
Britain refused the offer and demanded the destroyed tea be paid for and the men who took part be sent to Britain for trial. Their reaction gave more fuel to the colonists fire for rebellion.