1. Taxation Without Representation
Chapter 5, Lesson 1

2. Relations with Britain
After winning the French and Indian War, Great Britain controlled a lot of new territory in America.
To avoid confrontation with the Native Americans, the Proclamation of 1763 prohibited movement past the Appalachian Mountains.
As part of the Treaty of Paris, the land received became the provinces of Quebec, East Florida, West Florida, and Grenada (a combination of Caribbean Islands.)

4. Relations with Britain
Stopping western settlements had its advantages for Britain.
British government can control westward movement and keep it orderly, in hopes of preventing confrontation with the Natives.
Would slow the movement away from the coastline, where Britain’s important markets and investments were.
Allowed for British officials to control the lucrative fur trade.
These would be done by keeping 10,000 troops in America to protect these interests.

5. Relations with Britain
Many colonists feared that:
with so many troops in the colonies their freedoms would be interfered with.
the Proclamation of 1763 was a limit on their freedom.
These contributed to the growing distrust between Great Britain and its colonies.
The financial problems in Britain did not helping either.
The French and Indian War left Great Britain in a huge debt and they were desperate for new revenue, or incoming money.
The colonists would begin to receive various taxes that would enrage them and surprise British officials.

6. Britain’s Trade Laws
In 1763, George Grenville became prime minister of Britain and was determined to reduce their debt.
He took action against smuggling in the colonies.
When the colonists smuggled goods to avoid taxes, Britain lost revenue it could use to pay its debt.
Grenville knew American Juries would frequently find smugglers innocent.
In 1763, he convinced Parliament to pass a law allowing smugglers to be sent to Vice-admiralty courts (Were run by officers and did not have juries.)

7. Britain’s Trade Laws
In 1767, Parliament decided to authorize writs of assistance.
These legal documents allowed customs officers to enter any location to search for smuggled goods.

8. The Sugar Act
With a new law to stop smuggling, Grenville next sought to increase tax revenue by passing the Sugar Act in 1764.
The act lowered tax on molasses imported into the colonies and he hoped it would convince the colonist to pay instead of smuggling.
It also allowed officers to seize goods from smugglers without going to court.
The Sugar Act and the new laws to control smuggling upset the colonists and believed their rights as Englishmen were being violated.

9. The Sugar Act Writs of Assistance – violated right to secure home.
Vice Admiralty Courts – violated right to trial by jury.
The burden of proof was also on the defendants to prove their innocence.
This was a contradiction of British law, which states that the accused is “innocent until proven guilty.”
James Otis believed that “no parts of [England’s colonies] can be taxed without their consent… every part has a right to be represented.”

10. James Otis

11. The Stamp Act
In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act in an effort to raise money.
Placed a tax on almost all printed material in the colonies.
Newspapers, playing cards, wills, pamphlets, etc.
All printed material must be stamped, which was applied by a British official.
Nearly everything was stamped and affected almost everyone in the colonies.
It convinced the colonists of the need for action.

12. Protesting the Stamp Act
A young member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, Patrick Henry, persuaded the burgesses to take action against the Stamp Act.
It worked, and the Virginia assembly passed a resolution (a formal expression of opinion) that “the only sole and exclusive right and power to lay taxes” on its citizens.”
In Boston, Samuel Adams helped start an organization known as the Sons of Liberty.
Members would take to the streets to protest the Stamp Act.
This also worked and other cities soon also set up Sons of Liberty groups.

13. Patrick Henry
Samuel Adams

14. Protesting the Stamp Act
Throughout the summer of 1765, protestors burned effigies (rag figures) representing unpopular tax collectors.
They also raided and destroyed house belonging to royal officials and shouted that only Americans had the right to tax Americans.

15. The Stamp Act Congress
In October delegates from nine colonies met in New York at the Stamp Act Congress.
They drafted a petition for the king and Parliament declaring that the colonies could only be taxed by their own assemblies.
In colonial cities, people refused to use the stamps and instead would boycott (refuse to buy) British and European goods in protest.
Thousands of merchants, artisans, and farmers signed nonimportation agreements (refused to buy or use goods imported from Britain)
It got so bad that British merchants were begging Parliament to repeal (cancel) the Stamp Act.

16. The Act is repealed
In March of 1766, Parliament gave in and the Stamp Act was finally repealed.
However, the colonist never fully trusted the king or parliament anymore.
While the colonist celebrated their victory over the Stamp Act another act was passed that same day.
The Declaratory Act of 1766 stated that Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for the British colonies “in all cases.”
Now, they had to worry about who would make decisions in the colonies.

17. New Taxes
Soon after the Stamp Act crisis, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts.
The colonist did not enjoy being taxed internally, or paid within the colonies.
Now they were being taxed on basic goods such as, glass, tea, paper, and lead which they could not make on their own.
Furthermore, the taxes had to be paid at the port of entry.
The colonists were not going to accept ANY taxes at this point and returned to the tried and true strategy of boycotting, and even more colonists participated this time.

18. New Taxes Women took an active role during the protest.
Occasionally, calling themselves the Daughters of Liberty, they told colonists to make goods that were available only from Britain before.
They made their own clothes and other materials and believed that this would ultimately lead to the colonies becoming economically independent.