2f - the road to revolution, 1763-75

Anti-smuggling legislation, 1763

Sugar Act, 1764

Currency Act, 1764

Stamp Act Crisis, 1765-6

Declaratory Act, 1766

Quartering Act 1765

Seen as being used to raise revenue without consent

By 1765 nine colonial assemblies had accused Britain of abusing its power

James Otis argued against 'taxation without representation'

Represented a fundamental shift in outlook - fear that Britain believed it could tax at will

Raised wider political concerns about arbitrary government, extension of powers and denial of liberty

Evidence of further centralisation and inference from London at the expense of colonial assemblies

Led to deflation and caused bankruptcy

Led to Virginia Resolves, refuting Britain's right to tax without consent

Led to the Stamp Act Congress of Oct 1765

Foundation of the Loyal Nine, later the Sons of Liberty

Widespread rioting and mob violence

Seen as a direct internal tax, affecting every colonist

To many colonists it had constitutional implications - accepting the tax would be accepting Parliament's absolute legislative authority

Attacks on British officials, effigies hanged from the Liberty Tree in Boston and Lieutenant-Governor Hutchison's house

Seen as part of a grand strategy to erode colonial liberties

New York refused to accept the act

Seen as another example of the tyranny of Parliament reducing the rights of colonial assemblies

Townshend Duties, 1766

New York Restraining Act, 1767

Reinforced the view that a standing army was tyrannical and oppressive

Passed on the same day as the repeal of the Stamp Act - which many colonists celebrated

Made it clear Parliament maintained its right to legislate and tax the colonies, that the colonies were subordinate and Parliament had full authority

Showed the colonists how fragile their rights were

Seen as undermining the rights of colonial assemblies

No taxation without representation

Showed that the policy of Salutary Neglect had clearly ended

Although external many colonists now refused to accept any form of taxation

Many saw this as a deliberate conspiracy to deny the colonists of their liberties

John Dickinson wrote Letters of a Pennsylvania Farmer in 1768

In Feb 1768 the Massachusetts assembly sent out a circular letter (written by Samuel Adams and James Otis) attacking the duties

The city of Boston organised a boycott of British goods, which soon spread

In Oct 1765 organised a boycott of British goods

The impact of taxation and other legislation, 1763-8

Revival of the Sons of Liberty

Increase in mob violence as radicals enforced this

The American Board of Customs Commissioners, 1767

The Boston Massacre, 1770

The removal of officials from local control and created further fear of despotism

Many saw this and the closure of the assembly as a deliberate conspiracy to deny the colonists of their liberties

Lack of resources led the board to ask the Royal Navy for support

The seizure of the Liberty led to a violent response - crown officials were mobbed and the Sons of Liberty virtually controlled Boston

The new governor, the Earl of Hillsborough, decided Boston be punished and ordered the assembly to the rescind the circular letter of Feb 1768

Their refusal led to the closure of the assembly - Boston became ungovernable and British troops arrived in Oct 1768 to enforce order

British troops enflamed the situation - they were quartered on local people and competed for jobs with local workers

Their presence was seen as a sign of British interference and reinforced the end of Salutary Neglect

Boston newspapers made up stories of brutality and equated them with tyranny and despotism

Colonial newspapers painted the incident as a 'massacre' - in newspapers, pamphlets and engravings

Suggested that the British were prepared to used a standing army to gun down innocent civilians who were determined to uphold their rights and freedoms - and created five martyrs

Led to a new government under Lord North that tried to improve relations with the colonists

The Earl of Hillsborough was replaced by the more conciliatory Earl of Dartmouth

The Townshend Duties were repealed - apart from tea, which was kept tp show the supremacy of parliament

North won over conservative merchants and the boycotts were dropped

Radicals were not appeased and the creation of 'committees of correspondence' in most states encouraged the circulation of grievances and kept radical activity alive

The Tea Act, 1773

By giving the East India Company a monopoly it threatened to bankrupt colonial tea merchants

The act was attacked in colonial newspapers and led to violence against officials

Colonists were convinced this was another attempt at Parliamentary taxation and a denial of colonial rights and liberties

The Boston Tea Party, 1773

Seen as an act of defiance that could not be ignored

Led to a British response as North was convinced the actions were a threat to British authority, prosperity and security

The 60 Sons of Liberty who took part became radical heroes making a stand against British tyranny and despotism, and standing up to taxation that did not have the consent of the colonists

The event was widely celebrated in colonial newspapers and images.

The Coercive (Intolerable) Acts, 1774-7

North made General Gage, commander of British forces in Boston, the new governor of Massachusetts

It appeared that Britain was determined to put the whole of America under colonial rule and subdue the colonies

North determined that Boston, and Massachusetts, were at the centre of the trouble and decided they should be punished as an example to other colonies.

Rather than isolating Massachusetts the other colonies united behind them and rallied to their defence, believing that Britain could take similar action against any colony

The Quebec Act (1774) was of particular concern to colonists, who saw it as a threat to their liberty rather than a liberal act designed to protect French Canadians

They saw the right of the crown to rule without an assembly as a threat to colonial liberties and rights

The extension of the Quebec boundary was seen as a denial of colonial rights, damaging to their economic growth and a threat to self-determination

Suspended the New York colonial assembly until it backed down and accepted the Quartering Act

Many colonists were angered that Parliament would suspend a colonial assembly

Indicated that policy of Statutory Neglect was coming to an end

Led to the First Continental Congress of Oct 1774.