Causes of Colonial Unrest

1. Causes of Colonial Unrest Actions of the British Parliament, caused colonists to call for independence.

2. Proclamation of 1763 After the War with France (a.k.a. The French and Indian War), the British Parliament forbade the colonists from moving west of the Appalachian Mountains, because it was too expensive to protect the colonists from the Native Americans. The colonists were angry that they couldn’t move west, because they believed that they had won the right to settle in that area.

3. Quartering Act A law passed by Parliament in 1765 that required the colonists to house and supply British soldiers. Colonists did not trust the soldiers as they felt the soldiers were sent to the colonists’ homes to spy on them.

4. Sugar Act A law passed by Parliament in 1764 that placed a tax on sugar, molasses and other products shipped to the colonies; also called for harsh punishment of smugglers. Colonists claimed Parliament had no right to tax the colonies, since the colonists were not represented in Parliament. “Taxation without representation is tyranny!”

5. Stamp Act A 1765 law passed by Parliament that required all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing a tax had been paid. Colonists were mad because they had to pay this tax themselves. Also, the colonists realized that this tax had been passed without their consent, and wondered what else the parliament can pass without their consent.

6. Townshend Acts A series of laws passed by Parliament in 1767 that suspended New York’s assembly and established taxes on goods brought into the British colonies. To enforce the acts, British officers would use writs of assistance, or search warrants, to enter homes or businesses to search for smuggled goods. Colonists felt that the acts were a serious threat to their rights and freedom.

7. The Boston Massacre A clash between British soldiers and Boston colonists in 1770, in which five of the colonists were killed. This incident became a tool for anti-British propaganda in newspaper articles, pamphlets, and posters. The soldiers who fired into the crowd, were tried for murder, but were found innocent by self-defense.

8. Tea Act In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act. It gave the British East India Company control over the American tea trade. The tea would arrive in the colonies only in the trading company’s ships and be sold there by its merchants. Colonists who had not been paying any tax on smuggled tea would now have to pay a tax on this regulated tea. This enraged colonial shippers and merchants.

9. Boston Tea Party The dumping of 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor by colonists in 1773 to protest the Tea Act. This act gave the British East India Company control over the American tea trade. The tea would arrive in the colonies only in the company’s ships and be sold there by its merchants. Plus, colonists now had to pay a tax on the tea.

10. Intolerable Acts A series of laws enacted by Parliament in 1774 to punish Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party. Boston Harbor would be closed. Committees of Correspondence would be banned. British officials accused of crimes would stand trial in Britain.

11. Lexington and Concord On April 19th, British troops marched to Lexington, to arrest Sam Adams and John Hancock. They were to then destroy colonial military supplies in Concord. However, the British troops were met by Massachusetts militiamen, who were there to stop the British. Fighting began between the two sides. These were the first battles of the Revolutionary War.