The Colonists Objects to British Rule

Anton Campos Jay Angeles

• The bonds between Britain and its American colonies grew weaker over time.

• Physically, an ocean separated the colonies from Britain.

• The separated colonies then developed their own social, political, and economic institutions.

• The Parliament began imposing laws, because of this the colonies felt that their freedom was being interfered.

• Tensions between Britain and the colonies increased.

• This eventually led to a revolution.

• Britain expected the colonies to provide raw materials and to buy back British manufactured goods.

• The Parliament regulated colonial trade to Britain’s advantage.

• Colonial merchants resented these restrictions.

• The Parliament prevented the colonists from developing industries that would compete with British manufacturers. Ex: the Hat Act (1732) which restricted exports of hats made

from the colonies.

Ex: the Iron Act (1750) forced colonists to buy British-made iron products rather than making their own.

• Parliament’s restrictions were difficult to enforce on the colonial economy.

• The colonists resented these restrictions, so the colonists smuggled in goods to avoid paying British taxes.

• The colonists weren’t the only problem faced by the British.

• France and Britain were rivals for colonies and trade.

• Because of France’s colonial policies, many Indians had fought with the French in the conflicts with Britain and the colonists.

• British colonists took over some land owned by the Indians.

• The Indians were angered by the loss of land and British’s policies.

• They united under Pontiac, an Ottawa leader, and they raided frontier settlements and captured British forts.

• After months of fighting, British forced Pontiac to give up the rebellion.

• Britain’s prime minister, Lord Grenville, claimed that Pontiac’s war showed that it was necessary to keep British troops stations in the colonies.

• Because of the British troops on American soil, many Americans feared that the troops were used to control the colonists.

• To further anger the colonists, Grenville issued the Proclamation of 1763.

• This barred settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• The Proclamation of 1763 was issued hoping..

– To prevent clashes between the Indians.

– To keep the colonists more firmly under British rule.

… but the colonists simply viewed the Proclamation as interference in their affairs.

• Grenville now decided that, as the American colonies had benefited from the wars, they should pay a large part of the cost.

• Grenville’s ways:

– Clamped down on smuggling.

– Imposed “luxury” taxes on goods like sugar, coffee, and wine.

– The Sugar Act, which lowered tax on imported molasses in hopes that it wouldn’t be smuggled.

– The Quartering Act, reduced the cost of stationing troops in North America and it forced colonists to provide living quarters and certain supplies for British troops.

– The Stamp Act, placed tax on printed matter.

Ex: newspapers, playing cards, pamphlets, licenses, deeds, and other legal documents.

• The colonists were outraged and believed that Grenville’s program violated long-standing rights of British subjects.

• They protested saying: “Taxation without representation” was against the principles of English law.

• Protests against the tax were widespread in the colonies.

• Colonists were particularly angered by the Stamp Act.

• Delegates from nine colonies met to challenge the Parliament’s right to tax the colonies for revenue.

• At the meeting, called the Stamp Act Congress, they sent petitions to the king and to the Parliament asking for repeal of the Stamp Act.

• Delegates also called on colonial merchants to stop buying or selling British goods.

• Groups of patriots known as the “Sons and Daughters of Liberty” sprang up throughout the colonies.

• Their members pressured merchants – sometimes by force – to stop dealing in British goods.

• The British merchants soon complained, and the Stamp Act was repealed.

• The Parliament passed the Townshed Act, which imposed new taxes.

• This raised the prices of many everyday items.

– Particularly paint, glass, paper, and tea.

• The colonists became furious, especially those from Boston.

• In March, 1770, a squad of British soldiers fired into a Bostonian crowd that had been taunting them.

• Five colonists were killed, and several were wounded.

• This incident, as called by the American patriots, is known as the Boston Massacre.

• To punish the Bostonians, the Parliament passed a series of laws that colonists called the Intolerable Acts.

– One law closed the port of Boston to all ships.

– Another put an end to self-gov’t in Massachusetts.

– A third, protected royal officials charged with crimes to avoid hostile colonial juries.

• A meeting called the Continental Congress was held due to the upset of the colonists of the Intolerable Acts.

• This involved delegates from 12 colonies.

• The British gov’t refused to give in to the colonists.

• The disagreements between Britain and the 13 colonies brought violence.

• British troops were sent to Concord and Lexington to destroy weapons and gunpowder that the militia, or citizen soldiers, had stored there.

• The British soldiers seized Samuel Adams and John Hansock, two resistance leaders.

• Both British and colonist troops gathered at Lexington and Concord and the fight began.

• Although the colonists couldn’t stop the soldiers, they took cover behind trees and stone walls to attack.

• In all, about 350 people were killed or wounded.

• This fight was a turning point in the relationship between Britain and the colonies.

• Support for independence grew.

• A pamphlet entitled “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine called upon the Americans to declare their independence from Britain.

• The Continental Congress broke economic ties.

• On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson, a Virginia planter, was adopted.

• In signing the Declaration, the members of the Continental Congress formally made a break with

Britain proclaiming that: “these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, Free and Independent States.”

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