Many laws were given to the colonists after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which made their lives more difficult. There was a huge debt left by the war so George Grenville started giving Americans taxes to pay. The first law was called the Sugar Act, and it was introduced in 1764. This act required that taxes were to be paid on imported sugar to the colonies. The Stamp Act in 1765 came next, which was a tax paid directly to the government when a stamp was bought. With this act, not only merchants were affected, but all colonists were also. People had to buy stamps to put on things such as legal documents and playing cards. Since this law was so unpopular, on the day that it was to take effect, people wore black clothes.
After this law was enforced, Americans began to boycott British goods. Colonial merchants signed non-importation agreements, which meant that they would not purchase products from Britain until they took away the Stamp Act. The next year, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act because of significant drop in exports. These two laws were followed by the Currency Act, Quartering Act, Townshend Act, the Coercive Act, and the Quebec Act. It is very obvious that all of the laws given to the Thirteen Colonies were only made to help Britain, which is a good reason why the colonists would want to become independent.
The Americans no longer needed British protection since they were free from danger of French attack. Victory in the French and Indian war brought Britain more land, and with that more problems. After Britain abandoned its policy of salutary neglect, they started concerning themselves with North America. Britain then decided to send 10, 000 British soldiers to “protect” Americans. Colonists did not see it in that matter, they did not need protection from anybody since they had no danger of war or threats with other nations. The French had been defeated, and they were at peace with the Native Americans. Colonists noticed that the British troops (redcoats) were stationed in towns such as New York and Boston where there was no more danger from Native Americans than in London. The presence of the army had another purpose, to strengthen colonial governors and intimidate the colonial legislatures.
As if 10, 000 British soldiers was not enough trouble for the colonists, in 1765 Parliament passed the Quartering Act which required that the colonists provide shelter and food for the thousands of British troops in America. Colonists thought of this act as an indirect taxation, and they found ways to get around it.
Five years later on the night of March 5th, 1770, a crowd of approximately 50 male colonists gathered outside of the Boston Customs House to tease the redcoats. The crowd threw sticks and snowballs at the troops, the redcoats then panicked and starting shooting. Five men were killed at this incident now known as the Boston Massacre. This soon became a symbol to the colonists of British tyranny and force.
The freedom of the colonists was taken away with some of the laws that were passed, as well as by the British troops stationed in America. When a colony is not allowed to trade with other countries either than its mother-country, that is a violation of the rights of the colony. Also when troops from another country are legally entitled to sleep in the home of a colonist that is a violation of the colonist’s privacy.
When George Grenville was selected as Britain’s minister of finances in 1763, there was a stricter enforcement of laws in the colonies. He knew about all of the smuggling that was going on in America. Grenville told customs officers to go to their posts in America rather than stay in England and hire deputies as before. These officers had writs of assistance, which were search warrants that allowed them to seek smuggled goods anywhere. Colonists that were accused of smuggling goods would be tried in admiralty courts, where the accused was denied the right of trial by jury. Two things were very wrong with these actions. First of all, it is unfair for Customs Officers to be allowed to search within the privacy of one’s house or ship just because they are suspicious. Second of all it is unjust that people accused of smuggling would have a trial without a jury. The Boston Massacre can also be seen as an event where people had their freedoms taken away because five colonists were killed. Britain was taking away so many of the liberties of the colonists, that they had to rebel.
The actions of the British Government eventually led to the American Revolution because they imposed unpopular laws, sent some of the British army to live in the colonies, and they took away the liberties of the colonists.
Colonists should have been able to have a say on the laws that involved them, the army should have only went to America if they were requested to by Americans and the Britain should have given colonists the same freedoms they gave their own people.
After the Stamp Act was enforced, a protest took place where Patrick Henry said something very wise, “No taxation without representation”. This was a very clever thing to say because he claimed that since Americans elected no members to the British Parliament, they could not be taxed by them. Britain didn’t represent America in government, and therefore the laws that they gave America were wrong. The American Revolution was not the effect of one cause, but of many smaller causes that kept adding up. Eventually colonists were fed up with the British Government and wanted their independence, which is what they have today.
Bibliography
Harris, Nathaniel. Spotlight on The American Revolution. East
Sussex, England: Wayland Publishers Ltd., 1988.
Meltzer, Milton. The American Revolutionaries. New York, NY:
HarperCollins Publishers, 1987.
McDowell, Bart. The Revolutionary War. Washington, D.C.: National
Geographic Society, 1967.
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/
http://www.greenwichschools.org/ems/silvaggi/rev_files/frame.htm
http://www.greenwichschools.org/ems/silvaggi/rev_files/frame.htm
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/
