American Revolution
In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, Britain needed a new imperial design, but the situation in America was anything but favorable to change. Long accustomed to a large measure of independence, the colonies were demanding more, not less, freedom, particularly now that the French menace had been eliminated. To put a new system into effect, and to tighten control, Parliament had to contend with colonists trained in self-government and impatient with interference. One of the first things that British attempted was the organization of the interior. The conquest of Canada and of the Ohio Valley necessitated policies that would not alienate the French and Indian inhabitants. But here the Crown came into conflict with the interests of the colonies. Fast increasing in population, and needing more land for settlement, various colonies claimed the right to extend their boundaries as far west as the Mississippi River. The British government, fearing that settlers migrating
1765 - In May, in Virginia, Patrick Henry presents seven Virginia Resolutions to the House of Burgesses claiming that only the Virginia assembly can legally tax Virginia residents, saying, "If this be treason, make the most of it. To enforce the Sugar Act, customs officials were ordered to show more energy and effectiveness. The American Revolutionary War was a complex event that belies a simplistic nationalist view. From the colonies' point of view, it was impossible to consider themselves represented in Parliament unless they actually elected members to the House of Commons. In Boston, enforcement of the new regulations provoked violence. More serious in its repercussions was the new financial policy of the British government, which needed more money to support its growing empire. On June 8, the Massachusetts Assembly invited all the colonies to appoint delegates to the so-called Stamp Act Congress in New York, held in October 1765, to consider appeals for relief from the king and Parliament. A colonial embargo on "English tea" continued but was not too scrupulously observed. THE COERCIVE ACTS Parliament responded with new laws that the colonists called the "Coercive or Intolerable Acts. This act increases the duties on imported sugar and other items such as textiles, coffee, wines and indigo (dye). The Townshend Acts were designed to raise revenue to be used in part to support colonial governors, judges, customs officers and the British army in America. Prosperity was increasing and most colonial leaders were willing to let the future take care of itself. They feared that at any time in the future, the principle of parliamentary rule might be applied with devastating effect on all colonial liberties. From Massachusetts to South Carolina, the act was nullified, and mobs, forcing luckless customs agents to resign their offices, destroyed the hated stamps.
Common topics in this essay:
Stamp Act,
India Company,
Continental Association,
Sugar Act,
Harvard College,
Americans Crown,
Currency Act,
English Parliament,
Boston Massacre,
Committee Correspondence,
stamp act,
sugar act,
east india company,
taxation representation,
india company,
east india,
english parliament,
act passed,
town meetings,
british government,
house burgesses,
quebec act passed,
boston tea party,
representatives nine colonies,
virginia house burgesses,
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Acceptance Essays
