Turmoil Over Taxes

Chapter 7Section 3

Pontiac's Rebellion The British exhibited little

cultural sensitivity, traded unfairly, and failed to stop encroachments in the (1) Ohio Valley.

This unrest culminated in a rebellion by (2) Pontiac, a Native American leader who united various tribes with the goal of expelling the British.

The uprising lasted from 1763 to 1766.

Massacres and atrocities occurred on both sides— most notably, British General Jeffrey Amherst gave the Native Americans blankets infested with smallpox.

Proclamation of 1763

Violent incidents such as Pontiac's Rebellion prompted the English crown to pass the (3) Proclamation of 1763.

Settlers were not to establish themselves west of the (4) Appalachian Mountains

The effort was unsuccessful and is viewed by many to be a leading cause of the Revolutionary War.

The Debts of War

The British Prime Minister, George Grenville, decided that the colonists in North America should share the burden of new taxes.

George Grenville

Sugar and Stamp Acts Grenville persuaded parliament to

pass two new laws.– (5) Sugar Act of 1764 placed a tax on

sugar and molasses– (6) Stamp Act of 1765 put a

tax on legal documents, newspapers, and a variety of other items. All items named in the law

had to carry a stamp showing the tax was paid.

Colonists Protest

When the British tried to enforce the Stamp Act, the colonists protested.– Angry colonists

threw rocks at tax agents.

– Some agents were tarred and feathered.

Colonists’ Point of View The British could not

understand why the colonists were so angry because they had just protected the colonists from the French during the war.

The Parliament had no right to tax them because they (the colonies) did not elect the members of the Parliament. “No Taxation Without (7) Representation”

Stamp Act Congress

In October 1765, nine colonies sent delegates to what became known as the (8) Stamp Act Congress. – Stamp Act Congress Wrote petitions to

King George III and Parliament.– Parliament paid little attention

The nines stripes in this flag represented the nine colonies that participated in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765.

King George III

Townshend Acts

In June of 1767 Parliament passed the (9) Townshend Acts.– It taxed goods including glass, paper,

paint, lead, and tea. The Colonists

– Boycott– Storekeepers signed

the nonimportation agreements.

Your parents are suspicious of you. While you're at school, they go into your bedroom with a police officer and completely tear apart your room. They go through the backs of your drawers and closet, under your mattress, into your diary, etc. They find nothing but are still suspicious. – A) What would your reaction be if this

happened? – B) How would this affect the way you felt about

living there? – C) How would this affect your relationship with

your parents? – D) What would you do?

Writs of Assistance

The (10) "Writs of Assistance" were general warrants allowing officials to search for smuggled material within any suspected premises.

The colonists had several problems with these writs. – They were permanent and even transferable.– Any place could be searched at the whim of

the holder.– Searchers were not responsible for any

damage they caused.

Protest Groups

Colonists join groups such as the Sons of Liberty. Women joined together and called their group the (11) Daughters of Liberty. – These groups

protested against British Policies. SONS OF LIBERY SYMBOL, 1776.

Leaders emerge

In Massachusetts, Samuel Adams organized a Committee of Correspondence, which wrote letters and pamphlets reporting on the events in Massachusetts.

John Adams’ knowledge of British law earned him much respect.

John Adams

Samuel Adams

Leaders emerge – Cont.

In Virginia Patrick Henry - a young lawyer; after being accused of treason by listeners he made the famous comment: “If this be treason, make the most of it!....I know not what course others may take; but as for me, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”

Patrick Henry's "Treason" speech before the House of Burgesses.

New York

In New York, a dispute rose over the Quartering Act. Under that law, colonists had to provide housing, candles, bedding and beverages to British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

Boston Massacre On the night of March

5, 1770, a crowd gathered outside the Boston Commons House and threw snowballs, oyster shells, and chunks of ice at British soldiers.

The soldiers panicked and fired into the crowd killing five people.

(12) Crispus Attucks was an African American sailor was one of the five killed. Revere’s Engraving of the Boston Massacre

Committees of Correspondence

(13) Samuel Adams quickly wrote to the other colonists about the shooting and called it the Boston Massacre. Eventually he would set up the (14) Committees of Correspondance to keep the colonies informed.

Samuel Adams

Parliament passed the Tea Act

The parliament passed the Tea Act, in 1773, in order to help the East India Company.

The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonists, bypassing the colonial wholesale merchants.

Parliament’s intent was to make it cheaper for the Company to export tea to the American colonies, thereby increasing the Company’s revenues.

TEA TIME! As 500,000 pounds

of tea waited in Boston Harbor to be unloaded, colonists dressed up as Mohawks, boarded the ship and dumped the tea into the harbor.

The event came to be called the (15) Boston Tea Party.