Notes

The relationship between the colonists and the British changed significantly after the French and Indian War. Once the French and Indian war had been completed, the British came to the realization that having the colonists live under what is known as, 'salutary neglect', in which the colonists would not pay much tax at all, as well as lackadaisically adhere to laws that the British would enact on them, all while receiving protection from the British. The colonists were satisfied with this lack of overbearing ruling by the British, but post-French and Indian War, and the realization of how costly it was for the British government, this would not continue on without change (Pg. 87). The British planned to make significant changes to their ability to control taxation and limit the locations in which colonists and their families could live and mark as their own, through many new acts that they planned to enforce. The few most notable of these acts that the British government planned to enforce on the colonists are as follows: Stamp Act of 1765, Townshend Acts of 1767, and The Tea Act of 1773. These acts were attempted to be introduced in order to prevent the colonists from avoiding regulations and taxes through smuggling and making significant transactions without involving the British government. The colonists were not too keen on the British government having more rule of them, and subsequently resisted these new rulings, particularly because they were used to living under little to no ruling by them. Not only were the colonists not used to having another government take significantly more control than they were used to, but many colonists had begun believing in protection of their natural rights, ever since the Enlightenment took place. These colonists believed that if any individual, government, whether it be a ruler, queen or king, wanted to limit their right to life, liberty, and property, in any facet, they would contest it through acts of rebellion. While the colonists hoped that King George would recognize his governmental body as overextending and encroaching on the way of life the colonists had adapted to, the British believed that the colonists contrarily were taking advantage of the British and their protection without significantly contributing, as well as looking for a major source of revenue after the significant expenses of the French and Indian War (Pg. 87). 

A significant response by the colonists came in reply to one of the more significant acts that the British government tried to enact on the colonists, being the Stamp Act of 1765 (Pg. 89). The British government passed The Stamp Act in March of 1765, but it had not gone into effect until November, which gave colonists time to prepare and plan how they were going to resist this ruling. The colonists planned to have representatives of each colony meet together in October of 1765, in New York, to discuss how they would go about resisting the Stamp Act. This is known as the Stamp Act Congress (Pg. 89). The Stamp Act Congress marks the beginning of colonies working together as a whole in order to reply to Britain's new ruling, mainly opposing Parliament rather than specifically the King. The colonists were set on receiving representation within Parliament, if they were to adhere to these new acts. As the famous line goes, no taxation without representation. Colonists began to no longer deal with and import goods from Britain until the Stamp Act was no longer enforced. This took place throughout New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and South Carolina. Boycotting British goods became extremely significant in New England and New York, one of the contributing factors to this was the 'Daughters of Liberty', which were groups of women that would boycott British tea and British cloth, subsequently creating the idea that individuals who wore clothes that were created in the colonies as a sign of patriotism and supporting the colonies, rather than supporting British rule. One of the most important forms of resistance that they British were met with by the colonists was known as rioting. These riots by the colonists were managed by the Sons of Liberty, in which men who were wealthy would organize groups of colonists to protest and oppose British officials who tried to enforce the Stamp Act. Riots proved to be extremely significant in resisting British rule, for example all British enforces who planned to implement the Stamp Act had quit due to the extreme amount of resistance they were met with, through riots and intimidation by the Sons of Liberty. Colonists worked together not only to physically oppose this ruling implemented by the British, but through written means as well. Resolves were sent to Parliament, in which colonial leaders elaborated on what they were looking for when it came to British rule, cementing colonists as opposition resulting in the Revolution (Pg. 90&91). The Townshend Acts were then attempted to be enacted on the colonists by the British government, in which  colonists would have to pay tax on glass, lead, paper, and more. This marked a significant moment working towards the separation of British rule and colonial life, in which neither side were willing to give into the other. Violence unfortunately began to play a significant role, when riots were emerging following the Townshend Act. British soldiers were sent to Boston, followed by the chaos known as the Boston Massacre, in which eleven total colonists were shot by British soldiers. The last straw that would play a major role in the Revolution, was the The Tea Act, in which the British would try and create a monopoly on tea through forcing colonists to get their tea from the East India Company (Pg. 96). The colonists did not comply with this, most notably showcased by the Boston Tea Party. All of these acts and much more contributed towards the colonists resisting British rule as a whole in many different ways, eventually resulting in the Revolutionary War.