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Sugar Act
The sugar Act was passed on April 5th, 1764 adding a 3 cent tax to foreign sugars this also put a tax on Indigo, coffee and some wines. Although French wine and rum was banned. The act was put into place to prevent smuggling and to protect the British trade. Many colonists did not favor the act and continued to smuggle goods from outside. -
Currency Act
On September 1st,1764 The Currency Act was passed to control the colonial currency. The parliament enforced the use of hard currency upon the colonists and made it so they cant print their own money. This upset the colonists because they couldn't print their own money and use it how they wanted. -
Stamp Act
On March 22nd,1765 The Stamp Act was created. This act was placed on every colonists forcing them to pay a tax for printed paper. Licensees and even playing cards were taxed. Their goal was to raise money for a military defense for the colonies. The colonists tried very hard to remove this act even harassing tax collectors. Benjamin Franklin appealed the act in court and one year later in march the act was repealed. -
Townshed Act
The Townshed Act was created by Charles Townshed and passed by the English parliament. The purpose of this act was to collect money by putting custom duties on imports of glass, lead, some paints, paper and tea. The colonists reacted by not buying tea unless it was smuggled. They felt it was taxation without representation. The Boston Tea Part followed shortly after. -
Tea Act
The final act from British upon the colonies. This act was not to create revenue but to expand The East India Company. The compay was going down and had 18 million pounds of tea they needed to sell. The colonists did not enjoy the taxes and refused to unload the tea. The colonists then had an idea. The Boston Tea Party. So on December 16th, 1773, 340 chests of tea were dumped into the harbor by The Sons Of Liberty. The British the granted the company a monopoly of tea imports to the colonies.