George Grenville
· Born: October 14, 1712
· “Chancellor of the Exchequer” · He was in charge of the British funding o He was trying to find a way to pay the bills from centuries of war · He persuaded Parliament to pass the Sugar Act, and created the Stamp Act, which played a key role in the upbringing of the Revolutionary War o Caused colonists to become angry with British control - wanted their freedom · Died: November 14, 1770 in London, England · https://www.gov.uk/government/history/past-prime-ministers/george-grenville · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |
|
The Sugar Act of 1764
|
· Passed by the British in 1764
· It taxed imported molasses in the colonies – three pence a gallon o Put tax on sugar, coffee, and tea · It replaced the old Molasses Act of 1733 o Taxed imported molasses from French, Dutch, and Spanish islands – 6 pence a gallon · It’s purpose was to collect money from the colonists in order to pay for expenses, such as previous wars · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |
The Stamp Act of 1765
· Passed in March of 1765
· The British put taxes on items that were of every day use to the colonists, imported or not o Anything printed - newspapers, calendars, receipts, legal papers, etc. · To prove that the tax was paid, colonists were then required to buy and put a stamp on the taxed item · If a colonist didn’t have a stamp, they were seized and tried in an Admiralty Court o Without the presence of a jury · This angered some of the colonists o They didn’t like how Great Britain thought they could control their daily life · Ben Franklin, representing the voice of the colonies, felt as if they should repeal the Stamp Act o Believed that colonists opposed internal tax, but wouldn’t mind external tax · It was repealed on March 18, 1766 · It was replaced by the Declaratory Act o This act stated that Parliament still had power to make laws in the colonies · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |
|
the Townshend Acts of 1767
· The British government still wanted money from the colonists – to pay for war expenses and such
· Charles Townshend o Became the new Chancellor of Exchequer o Thought of a way to get this money - removed stamp tax and enforced the Townshend Acts · The Townshend Acts put tax on all imported goods – lead, glass, tea, etc. · In order to prevent bribing of the customs services, Charles Townshend reordered the customs service o Every time an officer caught someone smuggling an illegal ship/breaking the law, they received one third of the proceeds of that ship · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |
|
The Boston Massacre
· Occurred on March 5, 1770
· A group of Red Coats, or British soldiers, were being pelted with snowballs by a few colonists o After much frustration, the Red Coats began to fire shots and killed five colonists · The British soldiers were arrested on account for manslaughter o However, the court acquitted them on murder soon after · The Boston Massacre caused the British to back down, as they repealed the Townshend Acts o All taxes were removed except for tax on tea · http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |
|
Sam Adams
|
· Born: September 27, 1722 in Boston, Massachusetts
· He attended Harvard University · He is most famously known for being an organizer of rebellion in the colonies - "Rebel Rouser" · He organized the Boston Tea Party o Occurred on December 16, 1773 o Him and other members of the “Sons of Liberty” – a group of people resisting British power – dressed up as Mohawk Indians and dumped 342 chests of tea over a British ship, known as the Dartmouth o The events that occurred during the Boston Tea Party led to the creation of the Intolerable Acts. · He was a delegate of the First Continental Congress o The First Continental Congress was an assembly of the thirteen colonies (all except Georgia) to try and deal with their relationship with Parliament o Assembly located in Philadelphia · Later on in the war, he even signed the Declaration of Independence · http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/adams_s.htm · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |
The intolerable Acts/coercive acts
· The Boston Tea Party made the British decide to use force – the Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts
· It had two different names o In Britain – Coercive Acts o In America – Intolerable Acts · It’s main purpose was to take away the independence and power of the colonial government · It closed the Boston Harbor · It forbade the colonies to hold meetings in New England · It gave British troops the power to take over taverns and live and private homes, free of charge · Boorstin, Daniel J., Brooks Mather. Kelley, and Ruth Frankel. Boorstin. A History of the United States. Boston, MA: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. |