No Taxation Without Representation
Do NowTake out your vocabulary sheet and Lesson 5.1
Fact-Finder
RevenueIncoming money from taxes or other sources
Writ of AssistanceCourt document allowing customs officers to
enter any location to search for smuggled goods
ResolutionAn official expression of opinion by a group
EffigyA mocking figure representing an unpopular
individual
BoycottTo refuse to buy items in order to show
disapproval or force acceptance of one’s terms
RepealTo cancel an act or law
The Seven Years WarThe English and the French battled for colonial
domination in North America, the Caribbean, and in India
The English were successful in winning the war, with the help of the American colonists
The war left England with a lot of debt
Proclamation of 1763This order prohibited, or barred, colonists from
living west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Proclamation of 1763
Proclamation of 1763This was set up for the following reasons:
a. Keep peace between Native Americans and settlers
b. Kept colonists near the Atlantic coast, where British authority was stronger
c. Allowed Britain to control westward expansion and the fur trade
Proclamation of 1763King George III sent 10,000 troops to enforce
the proclamation and keep peace with Native Americans.
New TaxesGreat Britain needed revenue, or income, to
pay for the troops, and to pay off large debts from the French and Indian War.
New TaxesThey issued new taxes and enforced old taxes
more strictly.
New TaxesTo avoid taxes, some colonists resorted to
smuggling, and this caused British revenues to fall.
SmugglingParliament then passed a law to have accused
smugglers tried royally, and empowered customs officers to obtain writs of assistance.
SmugglingThese documents allowed the officers to search
almost anywhere for smuggled goods.
Smuggling Poster
The Sugar ActThis lowered the tax on the molasses the
colonists imported. Britain hoped that this would lead to colonists paying the tax instead of smuggling. It also allowed officers to seize goods from accused smugglers without going to court.
The Sugar ActColonists believed they had a right to a trial by
jury, and to be viewed as innocent until proved guilty. They also did not want their homes randomly searched for smuggled goods.
The Stamp ActIn 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act. This
law taxed almost all printed materials. Newspapers, wills, and even playing cards needed a stamp to show that the tax had been paid.
The Stamp ActPatrick Henry: passed a resolution – a formal
expression of opinion – declaring that only the burgesses could tax its citizens.
The Stamp ActSamuel Adams: helped start the Sons of
Liberty. They burned effigies, or stuffed figures, made to look like tax collectors.
The Stamp ActPeople urged merchants to boycott, or refuse to
buy – British goods in protest.
Businesses in Britain lost so much money that they demanded Parliament repeal, or cancel, the Stamp Act.
The Stamp Act Protests
The Townshend Acts 1767: Parliament taxed imported goods, such
as glass, tea, and paper, before they were brought inside the colonies.
TipImport means to go in to a country.
The Townshend Acts Women protested by supporting another boycott
of British goods. They also urged colonists to wear homemade fabrics rather than buying fabrics made in Britain.
The Townshend Acts Some women’s groups called themselves the
Daughters of Liberty.
Critical ThinkingIn your opinion, which act was the harshest on
the colonists? (Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, or the Townshend Act). Explain your answer.
Wrap Up Questions1. Explain the Proclamation of 1763
Wrap Up Questions2. How are the Stamp Act and Sugar Act
similar? How are they different?
Wrap Up Questions3. Why do you think Samuel Adams and others
formed the “Sons of Liberty” instead of just acting alone to express their anger at the British policies?
Wrap Up Questions4. How was the Townshend Act different from
the Stamp Act and Sugar Act?