Notes

Conflicts and Tensions:Despite the British victory over the French, there were troubling times ahead for the British and their relations with both the Native Americans and the colonists. Colonists were eager to venture west to settle on the newly-acquired lands. For those who stayed in the East, tensions increased as the British raised the price of goods and taxes to pay for their war debt. These taxes angered colonists and would eventually become the main reason for rebellion against the British policies. The British gained control of the Ohio River Valley in 1760. One of the first actions the British took was to raise prices on items sold to Native Americans. The Native Americans were very upset at being forced to pay more for goods. They were also unhappy about the many colonists that moved onto their hunting lands.

To retaliate for price increases and settlers’ infringements onto Native American hunting grounds, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe, a French ally in the war, raided frontier settlements and attacked British forts. Chief Pontiac’s warriors destroyed seven English forts in the Ohio River Valley. The British sent reinforcements in response. Chief Pontiac agreed to negotiate peace when he realized the French would not come to his aid or supply him with trade items and weapons. Though a treaty was not reached until 1766, the frontier raids ended in 1763.

The British government and King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763 to keep peace on the frontier. The proclamation reserved the Ohio River Valley for the Native Americans. Any white colonists who entered the Ohio River Valley could be arrested and their property seized. The colonies viewed the proclamation as a slap in the face. Many colonists fought for the British in the French and Indian War in the Ohio Valley. These same colonists now wanted to live in the fertile valleys. Like the Navigation Acts, the colonists ignored the Proclamation of 1763 and moved into the valleys. The Proclamation of 1763 was the first in a series of unpopular laws passed by the British King and the English Parliament that restricted colonial freedom.

Possible response: To protect Native Americans west of the Appalachian Mountains. Possible response: Colonists did not think the British government had the power to restrict state settlements. And after winning the French and Indian War, many colonists felt they had rights to the land. The British Prime Minister, Lord Grenville, controlled the finances of all of Great Britain. Grenville looked for ways to raise money to pay the costs of the French and Indian War. He also hoped to strengthen economic control over the American colonies. Grenville thought the logical solution was to tax the American colonies. He argued that the colonists should pay higher taxes because they started the war. They also paid less in taxes than British citizens yet still enjoyed the protection of the British military.

Lord Grenville soon persuaded Parliament to pass the American Revenue Act. This became known as the Sugar Act of 1764. The act imposed higher import taxes on sugar, molasses, textiles, coffee, and wine that came from non-British territories or countries. The tax on sugar amounted to about 50 cents for every 100 pounds of sugar.

Colonists responded to the Sugar Act in anger. They argued that the British government could not impose taxes since the colonies were not represented in the British parliament. It was taxation without representation. The phrase “No taxation without representation” became a slogan in the mounting pressure for colonial independence. Boston Massacre – Colonists were outraged over the shooting and killing of five people. clamation of 1763 – Colonists were angry that they were not allowed to venture west of the Appalachian Mountains because the lands were reserved for Native Americans.
mercantilism – Colonists argued that a mercantilist economy was unfair because it limited trade. taxation without representation – Colonists felt that the Stamp Act and Sugar Act taxes were unfair. They argued that they were being taxed without being represented. Possible response: Colonists insisted that only they or their elected representatives had the right to pass taxes. Since the colonists did not elect representatives to Parliament, Parliament had no right to tax them. Colonists were willing to pay taxes—but only if the taxes were passed by their own colonial legislatures.
Answer: They drew up petitions and boycotted goods and services.
Answer: It meant that the government wouldn’t interfere as much.
Possible response: It placed taxes on items such as newspapers, almanacs, playing cards, and dice. They argued that they were being taxed without being represented.
Colonists Disagree with the Proclamation The proclamation angered many colonists. They thought it was unnecessary and unjust. They did not think the British government had the power to restrict state settlements. Nor were they concerned with the rights of Native Americans. After winning the French and Indian War, many colonists felt they had rights to the land.
Also, colonists now had to pay for the additional British troops that had been sent to enforce the proclamation. In the end, many settlers simply ignored the proclamation and moved west anyway. The proclamation remained most controversial in the west, where colonists clashed with Native Americans. Some colonies, including New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, claimed lands in the west. The Proclamation would continue to cause problems up to the American Revolution from the tension it caused between the colonists and Britain.

One colonist who defied the Proclamation of 1763 was Daniel Boone. In 1767, Boone visited Kentucky, west of the Appalachians. In 1769, he began what became a two-year journey of exploration through Kentucky. He traveled as far as the Falls of the Ohio, the site of the present-day city of Louisville. Later, he led settlers through the Cumberland Gap along an old Indian path. During his travels, Boone fought a number of battles against the Indians and was taken captive for a short period. Writs of Assistance" laws were passed to help enforce the new tax laws. The writs allowed British customs officials to search ships for smuggled cargo. In England, a law similar to the Stamp Act was already in place. Parliament and Lord Grenville believed there would be little colonial opposition to the law. As it turned out, the British could not have been more wrong. Britain believed that colonists should be punished for rebelling against the Sugar and Stamp Acts. The Townshend Acts, enacted in 1767, taxed paint, lead, paper, glass, and tea. Because colonists used these items on a daily basis, the Townshend Acts would raise even more revenues than the defeated Stamp Act. Protests and boycotts broke out across the colonies.

The Townshend Acts outraged colonists and sparked fierce demonstrations across the colonies. Tensions between British soldiers and colonists erupted into violence in Boston on March 5, 1770. British soldiers took position to keep angry Bostonians from attacking a guard and overtaking the customs house. The protestors threw snowballs packed with rocks at the soldiers. The mob grew until 60 or more colonists surrounded the soldiers. The colonists swung clubs and hurled taunts. Finally, the crowd pushed the soldiers into a corner. One soldier was knocked unconscious. Captain Preston tried to keep his soldiers calm, but someone shouted, "Fire!" Shots rang out, and five Bostonians were killed. Mercy Otis Warren
Abigail Adams
Patrick Henry
Crispus Attucks
Haym Solomon
Wentworth Cheswell
James Armistead
Bernardo de Galvez
Sybil Ludington
Margaret Corbin
James Forten
Saul Matthews
Polly Cooper
Solomon Bush
Peter Salem
George Rogers Clark
Sarah Bache
Possible response: Colonists were upset not necessarily with the content of the rules, but with the idea of the rules in general. This is especially true at the beginning. Many of the taxes imposed on the colonies were not harsh. The tea act actually reduced the amount of taxes placed on tea. What the colonists objected to the most was that they did not have a say in the taxes they were paying. They had a certain measure of self-rule for years, but never any representation in the British Parliament. The colonists felt that if they were to be taxed, they should at least have a say in the process. Of course as time went on, the taxes and rules set by Parliament became heavier and more disciplinary in nature. Why did colonists oppose writs of assistance?
Answer: They thought they violated their rights.

How did colonists rebel against the Townshend Acts?
Possible response: They boycotted, signing agreements promising to stop importing goods taxed by the act. Some also formed the Sons and Daughters of Liberty staging mock hangings or encouraging colonists to support the boycott.

What sparked the Boston Massacre?
Possible response: British soldiers protecting custom officers panicked and fired shots into a Boston crowd after the crowd threw snow, ice, and shells.
The Townshend Acts Spark Rebellion
In May 1767, Parliament reopened the debate over taxing the colonies. In a fierce exchange, George Grenville, now a member of Parliament, clashed with Charles Townshend, the official in charge of the British treasury.

“You are cowards, you are afraid of the Americans, you dare not tax America!” Grenville shouted.

“Fear? Cowards?” Townshend snapped back. “I dare tax America!”

The next month, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which taxed goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. The taxes were low, but colonists still objected. The principle was the same: Parliament did not have the right to tax them without their consent.

Searches Without Reason Cause Unrest The Townshend Acts also set up new ways to collect taxes. Customs officials were sent to American ports with orders to stop smuggling. Using legal documents known as writs of assistance, the officers would be allowed to inspect a ship's cargo without giving a reason.
Colonists protested that the writs of assistance violated their rights as British citizens. Under British law, a government official could not search a person's property without a good reason for suspecting that the person had committed a crime. Yet the writs of assistance allowed persons and their property to be searched and even seized without reason in the colonies. Colonists angrily cited the words of James Otis of Massachusetts. Analyze Political Cartoons What does this cartoon say about the artist's opinion of the Stamp Act?
The colonists wanted the government to have less of a say over businesses and trade. They wanted a free-enterprise system, in which the market, rather than the government, determines what goods and services cost. British taxes, the colonists argued, unfairly restricted economic growth.

Finally, in 1766, Parliament repealed, or canceled, the Stamp Act. At the same time, however, it passed a law asserting that Parliament had the right to raise taxes in “all cases whatsoever.” The British gained control of the Ohio River Valley in 1760. One of the first actions the British took was to raise prices on items sold to Native Americans. The Native Americans were very upset at being forced to pay more for goods. They were also unhappy about the many colonists that moved onto their hunting lands.

To retaliate for price increases and settlers’ infringements onto Native American hunting grounds, Chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe, a French ally in the war, raided frontier settlements and attacked British forts. Chief Pontiac’s warriors destroyed seven English forts in the Ohio River Valley. The British sent reinforcements in response. Chief Pontiac agreed to negotiate peace when he realized the French would not come to his aid or supply him with trade items and weapons. Though a treaty was not reached until 1766, the frontier raids ended in 1763.

The British government and King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763 to keep peace on the frontier. The proclamation reserved the Ohio River Valley for the Native Americans. Any white colonists who entered the Ohio River Valley could be arrested and their property seized. The colonies viewed the proclamation as a slap in the face. Many colonists fought for the British in the French and Indian War in the Ohio Valley. These same colonists now wanted to live in the fertile valleys. Like the Navigation Acts, the colonists ignored the Proclamation of 1763 and moved into the valleys. The Proclamation of 1763 was the first in a series of unpopular laws passed by the British King and the English Parliament that restricted colonial freedom