Unit 3-Creation of a New Nation

Lesson 11: Taxation Without Representation

Review

• England controlled a large amount of territory following the French and Indian War. The Proclamation of 1763 limited settlement of these new territories for multiple reasons. Also, the Prime Minister of England had stated that the colonists would not have to pay for the debt caused by the war.

Advantages of Stopping Western Settlement

• Limiting settlement of the newly acquired territories allowed the British government to control the lands, not the colonists.

• It also would slow colonists movement away from the coast, where England’s important investments were.

• The British government could also control the fur trade.

Relations with England

• The British tried to protect their new lands from the colonists by sending 10,000 troops to America.

• Colonists were afraid that the large amount of troops might be used to violate their rights and freedom.

• Added to their anger following the Proclamation of 1763, colonists started to lack trust in the British government.

Paying the War Debt

• England started to have financial problems due to the debt from the French and Indian War.

• Although the colonists were told by William Pitt that they wouldn’t have to pay for the debt, the King and Parliament felt it was fair that the colonists pay for part of the cost.

Smuggling• To avoid paying taxes, many American

merchants smuggled goods.

• In 1763, the new prime minister, George Grenville, decided to take action.

• Smugglers, if caught, would no longer be tried in front of an American jury, they would be sent to sit in Vice-Admiralty Courts.

• These courts were run by British officers with no jury.

Writs of Assistance

• Parliament authorized writs of assistance in 1767.

• These documents allowed customs officers to search any location for smuggled goods, including homes.

Sugar Act

• The Sugar Act lowered taxes on molasses, with the hope that merchants would be willing to pay the tax instead of taking the chance of getting caught smuggling.

• The act also allowed officers to take smuggled goods without going to court.

Colonists Rights Violated?

• Colonists believed their English rights were being violated.

• The right to a secure home was violated with the Writs of Assistance.

• Vice-admiralty courts violated their right to trial by jury, as well as now the defendant had to prove innocence. This violated the English law of “innocent until proven guilty”.

Stamp Act

• This act taxed almost all printed materials in the colonies, including newspapers, pamphlets, wills, and even playing cards.

• A stamp would be placed on the printed material by British officials to show that the tax was paid.

• This was an effort to raise money, by Parliament in 1765.

Reactions to Stamp Act

• The Stamp Act caused many colonists to feel a need for action.

• Colonists were angry that Parliament taxed the colonies directly.

• They were also upset because Parliament ignored the colonies tradition of self-government by passing the Stamp Act without colonial representation.

Stamp Act Protests

• Patrick Henry, of Virginia, convinced the House of Burgesses to take action by passing a resolution, or formal expression of opinion, declaring that they were the only ones able to create taxes in Virginia.

Stamp Act Protests• The Sons of Liberty were created by Sam

Adams in Boston.• The Sons of Liberty protested in the streets

of Boston by burning effigies representing tax collectors, as well as British leaders. They shouted that only Americans had the right to tax Americans!

• They also burned down homes of British officials.

Stamp Act Congress

• Delegates from nine colonies met in New York to write a petition to Parliament and the King, declaring that colonies could only be taxed by colonial assemblies.

• They also created a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, meant for local discussion in the colonies.

Stamp Act Boycott• People refused to use the stamps in colonial

cities, and urged merchants to refuse buying British and European goods to protest the tax.

• Thousands of merchants, farmers, and craftsmen agreed to not buy goods imported from England by signing non-importation agreements.

• British merchants begged Parliament to cancel the Stamp Act.

Declaratory Act of 1766

• Parliament repealed, or canceled, the Stamp Act in March of 1766, giving in to the colonists’ demands.

• On the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act that stated that they had the right to tax and make decisions for the colonies.

Townshend Acts• A set of laws were passed by Parliament in

1767.• Knowing that colonists would be upset about

taxes in the colonies, Parliament set up taxes on imported goods, to be paid at the port of entry.

• These taxes included basic goods like glass, paper, lead, and tea, which the colonists needed because they did not produce them in the colonies.

More Protests

• Colonists were now to the point of being angry about any taxes passed by Parliament.

• Colonists reacted with the same types of boycotts that worked in regards to the Stamp Act, but this time throughout most of the colonies.

Daughters of Liberty

• Organized groups of women in colonial towns began to support the boycott of British goods.

• These women urged Americans to use only American made goods, as well as to learn how to produce goods that were only available from England.

Conclusion

• The British were in debt, due to the French and Indian war, and decided to have the colonists help pay it off. Parliament did this by taxing many things throughout the colonies. These taxes upset the colonists because they had been told they didn’t have to pay for the war. Most importantly, they felt that they shouldn’t be taxed without representation.

Assignments

• Answer the four review questions for this lesson.

• Read the Declaration of Rights and Grievances created by the Stamp Act Congress. Choose the grievance you find most important and explain why in your journal.

You will have a Unit 3 test after you complete Lesson 18