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Controversy began over Britain taxing the colonies when they had no representatives in Parliament. The opposition to the Sugar Act helped start a process where many political and business leaders in the colonies started to seriously consider how Britain treated them. Although the Sugar Act was eventually repealed, Parliament continued to pass laws that levied taxes on the colonies to raise revenue, which was a direct cause of the American Revolution. -
The Stamp Act led to an uproar in America over taxation without representation, which was a major cause of the Revolution. Colonists objected to the Stamp Act because it extracted money from Americans without their consent and violated the principle of taxation without representation. Colonists rioted against the Stamp Act, forcing the resignations of nearly all of the men sent to enforce it. -
The Declaratory Act claimed that Britain had the right to tax the American colonies. The colonists didn't like this and the prospect of revolution became more pronounced. The act furthered the confrontation between the British and the outraged colonists, who wanted to govern themselves. Members of Parliament knew they had to repeal the Stamp Act because it brought the British economy to a standstill after the Americans boycotted British goods. -
The Boston Massacre had a major impact on relations between Britain and the American colonists. This further enraged colonists who were already tired of British rule and unfair taxation and roused them to fight for independence. It led directly to the Royal Governor evacuating the occupying army from the town of Boston. It would soon bring the revolution to armed rebellion throughout the colonies, making it a pivotal event leading up to the American Revolution. -
Americans pulled off the Boston Tea Party, to get revenge. The British shut down Boston Harbor as a result of the Boston Tea Party and this was enacted under the Intolerable Acts of 1774. The Intolerable Acts outraged and united the American settlers against British rule even more. This occurrence fueled the conflict between Britain and America that had already started. This increasing tension eventually contributed to the Revolutionary War. -
The Prohibitory Act concluded that the colonists no longer had the King's protection. Therefore they responded with the Declaration of Independence. Britain's goal was to destroy the American economy by prohibiting trade with any country. The combination of this act and the British aggressively pursuing rebelling colonists created an increasingly tenuous relationship with England as tensions mounted. -
The Declaration of Independence transformed America by allowing dependent British colonies to become independent states that could make war, create alliances with foreign nations, and engage freely in commerce. By declaring themselves an independent nation, the American colonists confirmed an alliance with the Government of France and obtained French assistance in the war against Great Britain.