Perhaps the plot to exploit the new world came about even before the turn of the 18th century, as this idea of Mercantilism was being born from the English need to protect its colonial investments. Mercantilists disputed that since all the nations that were colonizing were competing for the new worlds resources, the nations who had the most economic trade and success would not only benefit their economy but that it might build on this idea of ethnocentrism by knocking down its rivals, after all many countries in the colonial ages of Europe wanted to get rich by conquering most of the world. Specifically speaking, the enumerated goods is what the English sought after, items like tobacco, sugar, cotton and indigo. Later on the English Parliament …show more content…
One event in particular stroked fear in the English Government’s popularity in America, Indeed it took a toll, and in October of 1768 the pressure from these riots had resulted in the transfer of 4,000 Regular Army soldiers to Boston which were unappreciated and underpaid. The tensions in the streets were ever growing and by March 5, 1770 violence appeared from citizens throwing rocks and snowballs at a patrol of soldiers and as the crowd grew in size the soldiers were provoked and fired on the citizens killing 5 people. The Stamp act was the first real piece of legislation to affirm the control of England to its colonies. It was for a very obvious reason too, that this is to say, the colonies knew that this was the aftermath of the Seven-year war of the British fighting the French and Indians, which increased the national debt from £72,289,673 in 1755 to £129,586,789 in 1764. More than half of the annual budget went to pay interest on it. Not long after the Boston Massacre had taken place the Lord of the North newly appointed by the king had submitted a recommendation to parliament to drop all the Townshend duties except for the tax on tea, one of the first steps taken for the benefit of the colonies was the establishment of the Committee of Correspondence which made communication between all the …show more content…
This rebellious act would shock the North ministry and the English Parliament would in turn hand down the Coercive acts which was a serious of restrictions and limitations to confine Boston until they had paid for the private property they trashed. The British wanted to make sure that Boston in particular was subjugated, so they would manage the upper house of legislature by appointment on the English only now. The intolerable acts would prove to be the last straw drawn by the British, this action not only affected Boston but resonated through all the colonies and suddenly people implemented charity into their policy if it meant helping out Boston. To address matters, American Colonists organized their First Continental Congress which called upon all the delegates form each colony to discuss their current predicament. This was indeed one of the first stepping stones to revolution, and diplomatically one of their first decisions was to cut off all commerce with British rule until the conditions in Boston were relieved, that is to say, people were highly encouraged not to buy British made goods for a proposed period of
Many people believe that the Boston Tea Party arose just because of the Tea Act that came into play in 1773, but in-fact, this major statement arose from two issues surrounding the British Empire in 1765. The first of the issues was that the British East India Company was at risk of going under and the Parliament was finding ways to bring it back. The second issue was that there was a continuing dispute about the extent of the Parliament’s authority. Many colonists believe that the Parliament went overboard with their power and the people were concerned about the future. Attempting to resolve these two major issues, the North Ministry only worsened the problem and produced a showdown that would eventually result in revolution.
.... The Coercive Acts were mostly to punish Boston and Massachusetts, but one also expanded the Quartering Act. Parliament also passed the Quebec Act, which arranged the land in Canada. Colonists took this as an attack on them as they lost land on the Ohio River, and it heightened the fear of losing their representative assemblies. The tensions, ultimately, would lead to the revolutionary war.
With out competition the East India Company had full control over the prices they set. This infuriated the Colonists. Pamphlets and protests did not seem to be cutting it anymore, so some felt like action needed to be taken. The Sons of Liberty answered the call. In an act of defiance, “a few dozen of the Sons of Liberty, opposing new British laws in the colonies, systematically dumped three shiploads of tea into Boston harbor. They acted to prevent the royal authorities from collecting taxes on that import” (Bell). This made left Parliament infuriated. They did what they only know how to do and put a tighter squeeze on the colonists. Their answer was the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts in the Colonies. The first of these acts was the Boston Port Bill. This bill shut down the Boston Harbor, the livelihood of many Bostonians. It would not re-open until the tea that was dumped could be paid off. Another one of the Intolerable Acts was the Massachusetts Government Act, in which they had to hand their government over to royal officials. Many saw this as too far or unacceptable. As shown by the statement, “Most historians agree that the Intolerable Acts were among the leading causes of the American Revolution (1775–83) as the legislation galvanized opposition to British political and economic policies in the
(140) It was during this time period that “the government in London concerned itself with the colonies in unprecedented ways…to help raise funds to pay for the war and finance the empire.” (Forner 141) The British government was heavily in debt after fighting the Seven Years War on several fronts. The need to raise funds was paramount and the colonies were a ready source. The British government started imposing taxes on the colonies as a means of income. This was a change in the relationship between America and the mother country. Many Americans opposed these taxes. (Forner 142- 143) According to Forner, “Opposition to the Stamp Act was the first great Drama of the revolutionary era and the first major split between the colonist and Great Britain over the meaning of freedom.” (142) This act was eventually repealed by Parliament in 1766 after great opposition by Americans. (Forner 144) The Stamp Act was just the beginning of several events and taxes on the colonist leading up the Boston Tea
The Intolerable Acts were known as the Coercive Acts to the British. Passed in 1774, these acts were designed to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party. The Coercive Acts blockaded the Boston harbor. The Royal Governor also had the authority to ban town meetings, stripping the colonists of their right to self government. British officials accused of crimes would also have their trial in England instead of Massachusetts. A new Quartering was enacted, which forced the people of Boston to shelter soldiers in their homes. One of the more impacting reactions to the Intolerable Acts was the 1st Continental Congress. All of the colonies except for Georgia sent representatives to this congress. At this congress, Patrick Henry said that it was time to take action (Doc. 5). This congress decided to boycott all british good and stop exporting goods to Britain. They also sent the Declaration of Resolves to King George III, which outlined their complaints. The 1st Continental Congress urged each colony to set up its own militia. The events eventually led to the 2nd Continental Congress and the formation of the United States of
Through many means of protest such as the Boston Tea Party, boycotting British goods and products, and the formation of many protest groups such as the Sons and Daughters of Liberty that made it possible for the colonists to fight off the English influence. The Boston Tea Party in Boston was a major factor when it came to the independence of America because it showed that the colonists could work together and formulate a plan such as disguising themselves as Mohawk Indians to intimidate the enemy and successfully dispose of hundreds of barrels of tea into the Boston Harbor. Now with cause comes effect, the cause was that the English had lost a lot of money and profit once the tea was disposed of, but the major reaction of the English was to retaliate. England had sent an increase in troops to the colonies to oversee what was happening with the formulation of protests and the British government had also passed the Intolerable Act, which closed down the harbor to repair any damage caused by the actions of the Boston Tea Party, and made it so that more restrictions were put on the colonists for their actions. As a result of this act being put into place, the colonists had also retaliated by forming the First Continental Congress which was a meeting of the delegates of the thirteen colonies except Georgia because Georgia was a state that homed debtors and criminals. As stated in Document E, “A Declaration by the Representative of the United Colonies of North America, now met in Congress at Philadelphia, setting forth the causes and necessity of their taking up arms.” This has showed that the colonists would do anything and everything within their power to rid the colonies of the oppressive and selfies rule of the British empire forever even if it meant violence and death would be a result of their
As a prelude before the Revolution itself, there were already preliminary symptoms of unrest within America that followed the first step in the general pattern of revolutions. Prior to the first shots at Lexington and Concord in 1775, growing discontent with the British Government passing certain acts that the Americans perceived as unfair had already risen to a substantial degree. With the majority of acts incurring economic and financial costs, by 1767, the Townshend Acts had been passed, putting further taxes on paper, glass and tea. Upon the taxes that the Stamp Act of 1965 incurred on such items as newspapers, official documents and almanacs, the American people became highly agitated and a feeling of resentment quickly spilled over the masses, ‘several person were for dying rather than submitting to it...’ [pg52 Maier, P.] Additionally, the Colonialist became increasingly violent, ‘Almost immediately after the Acts [implementation], outbreak of mob activity...’[pg54 Maier, P.] By 1970, the preliminary symptom of unrest displayed through protest and discontent was evident. The Colonialist did not feel that they were obligated to be subject to these taxes without representation in British Parliament. Additionally, the psychological pre-condition associated with the cause of war was present in the Colonialist discontent regarding the numerous Acts bearing economic consequences. Not only had the events up till 1770 displayed active protests and early mob activity, it also hinted at the potential oncoming violence the growing mob could inflict which was the next step in the general broad pattern of revolutions.
After the French and Indian war, the Britain saw a need for the “more centralized control” (Outline of U.S. History, 2011, p.52). They felt as necessary to eliminate any interference from the colonialists. The colonies on the other hand, expected more freedom and independence. Hence there was a forthcoming conflict. When the organization of Canada and Ohio valley would not adopt the policies to “alienate the French and Indian inhabitants, and British needed more money and land for settlement” (54) and fear of more war erupting, the restricting and taxation laws were passed. For example the Proclamation Act of 1763, Stamp Act of 1764 and others. Although some of these were passed to counter the other, it was still evident that there was a conflict between the colonialists and the British. General Thomas Gage commanded the garrison in Boston, and his main duty was to enforce the Coercive Act (57). His forces were raided the “minutemen and eight killed in the attack “(59), and pushed on to Concord. Soldiers were lost during the fight. The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and voted to go to war; Colonel Washington of Virginia was the Commander in Chief (59). Despite the break of war many people seen it has impossible to break the ties with England. At the end of that year, December 23, Thomas Paine, who had previously
When comparing and contrasting the Northern and Southern colonies throughout their development, it is vital to fully understand that each colony differed as a result of their reasons for settlement, geographic setting, and economic establishment; however, the colonies were additionally equivalent with regards to their social perceptions and standards of mercantilism.
Defense of the American colonies in the French and Indian War in the years 1754 -1763 and Pontiac's Rebellion in 1763-64 were unbearable to Great Britain. As a means of financing the activities, Prime Minister George Grenville hoped to recover some of these costs by taxing the colonists. The move came known as the Stamp Act of 1965 to be active from November 1956 though passed and enacted on 1964. The act came in place 11 years before America’s independence something that triggered American revolutionary action to oppose tax without representation. The act was passed by Britain parliament and it was to affect all Britain colonies. The essay will give insight of the degree of oppression of the Act to colonies, the radical responses, and American Revolutionary acts that are implicit against the Stamp Act.
The imperial tactics of the British Empire were exercised on the colonists through heavy taxes trade restrictions because of their mercantilist economy. The Stamp Act taxed the colonists directly on paper goods ranging from legal documents to newspapers. Colonists were perturbed because they did not receive representation in Parliament to prevent these acts from being passed or to decide where the tax money was spent. The colonists did not support taxation without representation. The Tea Act was also passed by Parliament to help lower the surplus of tea that was created by the financially troubled British East India Company. The colonists responded to this act by executing the Boston Tea Party which tossed all of the tea that was imported into the port of Boston. This precipitated the Boston Port Act which did not permit the colonists to import goods through this port. The colonists protested and refused all of these acts which helped stir the feelings of rebellion among the colonists. The British Mercantilist economy prevented the colonists from coin...
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the beginning of the revolution for the colonies of North America. When the Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament, it required American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. This included ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, and even playing cards. However, in the past, taxes and duties on colonial trade had always been viewed as measure to regulate commerce but not to raise money. Therefore, England viewed this taxes as a direct attempt to raise money in the colonies without the approval of the colonial legislatures. Due to this effects, the Stamp Act provoked such a violent reaction in the colonies, because it was seen as a threat to the colonist’s liberties and rights, as well as affecting multiple members of the society.
The Boston tea party was a brief incident among many, composing, economic, and political crisis that ultimately caused a revolution. These events consisted of The French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, the Tea Act, and of course the Boston Tea Party. The incident caused by the colonies infuriated the British government therefore as punishment parliament responded to the abuse with the Coercive Acts of 1774 . When the thirteen colonies once again decided to resist the British troops revolution spread. “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” This act later on lead to the American Revolutionary War, were years later independence was
Next came the Intolerable Acts, a series of laws passed by Great Britain to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and to strengthen British control over the Colonies. The Patriots viewed the Acts as a violation of the rights of Massachusetts, and in September 1774 they organized the First Continental Congress to organize a protest. As tensions grew, the American Revolutionary War officially commenced in April 1775.
The Coercive Acts of 1774 were passed by Parliament on March 28, 1774, in response to the Boston Tea Party, as a punishment to Massachusetts and as a warning to the other colonies to not participate in rebellious acts. The Coercive Acts, however, became loathed by the colonists, who renamed it “The Intolerable Acts.” The Coercive Acts were actually five acts, (officially they were four acts), that colonists viewed as unjust and divesting. The first act, The Boston Port Act, closed all ports in the Boston Harbor until the price of the tea destroyed was reimbursed, and the culprits that destroyed the tea were brought to justice. This greatly affected the Boston economy due to it being a trading city, however, the other colonies did aid the colony of Massachusetts during