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events leading to the Boston Te aParty
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sugar act
Parliament, desiring revenue from its North American colonies, passed the first law specifically aimed at raising colonial money for the Crown. The act increased duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. -
Stamp Act
Parliament's first direct tax on the American colonies, this act, like those passed in 1764, was enacted to raise money for Britain. It taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. Issued by Britain, the stamps were affixed to documents or packages to show that the tax had been paid. -
Quartering Act
The British further angered American colonists with the Quartering Act, which required the colonies to provide barracks and supplies to British troops. -
Repeal of the Stamp Act
Although some in Parliament thought the army should be used to enforce the Stamp Act, others commended the colonists for resisting a tax passed by a legislative body in which they were not represented. The act was repealed, and the colonies abandoned their ban on imported British goods. -
Townshend Acts
To help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre is the name commonly given to the shooting of five civilians by British troops on March 5, 1770, which became a cause celebre among pro-independence groups and helped to eventually spark the American Revolutionary War. -
Tea Act
By reducing the tax on imported British tea, this act gave British merchants an unfair advantage in selling their tea in America. American colonists condemned the act, and many planned to boycott tea.
