The American Revolution

American Resistance

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• The British government began to attempt to reorganize the empire, but the colonies could not have been less receptive.

• The Currency Act and Sugar Act both brought to surface many deep-rooted antagonisms between the colonies and England.

• The colonists feared that enforcement of a duty on foreign molasses would hurt their rum industry and therefore curtail the export trade in fish, foodstuffs, and African slaves which would in turn hinder Americas ability to pay for its British imports. – These fears combined with all

new trade regulations that accompanied the Sugar Act stirred up opposition and provoked the first deliberately organized inter-colonial protest.

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• In 1765, the Sons of Liberty were formed which used public demonstrations, violence and threats of violence to ensure that the British tax laws were unenforceable.

• Provisional Congresses were created throughout the colonies, which eventually led to the creation of the Continental Congress in 1774 to represent each of the aforementioned provisional congresses to create a provisional national government.

• The Declaration on Rights and Grievances that stated that any tax imposed on British colonies without their formal consent is unconstitutional.

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