-
Description: The Sugar Act imposed taxes on sugar, molasses, and other goods. It aimed to raise revenue to help cover the costs of maintaining British troops in the American colonies.
Colonists' Reaction: Colonists strongly opposed the act, claiming that it violated their rights as British subjects. Protests and smuggling of goods increased.
British Government's Reaction: The British government responded to the colonists' protests by increasing military presence and enforcing the act more -
Description: The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase and use stamped paper for legal documents, newspapers, and other printed materials.
Colonists' Reaction: Widespread protests and boycotts erupted. The cry "No taxation without representation" became a rallying point for colonists.
British Government's Reaction: The British government repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but passed the Declaratory Act asserting its authority over the colonies. -
Description: The Townshend Acts imposed tax on glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. They were made to raise revenue for colonial administration and pay the salaries of colonial officials.
Colonists' Reaction: Boycotts and protests were widespread. Tensions between colonial protesters and British soldiers escalated, leading to the Boston Massacre in 1770.
Government's Reaction: The British government partially repealed the Acts in 1770, but kept the tax on tea. -
Description: The Tea Act gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies and allowed them to sell tea to the colonies at a lower price.
Colonists' Reaction: The Boston Tea Party, in December 1773, was a direct result of the Tea Act. Colonists protested the unfair taxation and British monopoly
Government's Reaction: The British government responded with the Coercive Acts, aimed at punishing Massachusetts and tightening control over the colonies. -
The Coercive Acts were a series of punishing measures against Massachusetts, the closure of the Boston port, restrictions on town meetings, and allowing British soldiers to be housed in homes
Colonists Reaction: Colonists saw these acts as a violation of their rights and freedom, leading to the creation of the First Continental Congress in 1774
Government's Reaction: The British government thought these measures would stop resistance, but instead they united and radicalized the colonists