The American Revenue Act Of 1764: The Road To Revolution

During the mid-seventeenth century, the Parliament put upon acts on the colonists, that caused distraught throughout. Due to the Seven Years’ War, it created a huge debt for the British that needed to be taken care of quickly. In order to pay off the debt, the Parliament brought in the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and Tea Act that impacted many colonists’ daily lives negatively. The Molasses Act of 1733 imposed a tax of six pence per gallon on molasses imported from non-British sources to British colonies.

It was passed by the British Parliament and lowered the tax on molasses imported from the French and Spanish West Indies. The US history, workbook stated, “ in 1764 parliament passed the sugar act. It lowered the tax on molasses.” In response, the American colonists began boycotting the purchase of British manufactured goods, beginning the struggle for economic freedom. The Sugar Act further contributed to tensions in the colonies, prompting unrest and creating a sense of mistrust and resentment among the colonists.

Although they wielded the guns that killed five civilians, the trials of the British soldiers shows how they retained innocence in the murder of the Bostonians. If not for the violent assaults dealt by the Bostonians, the soldiers never would have needed to fire upon the rioters in order to defend themselves. However it went down, the Boston Massacre is one of the most overlooked events in world history. The spark of the Boston Massacre grew into the Revolutionary War. The anger of the outcome of the trial led colonists to events such as the Boston Tea Party, the First Continental Congress, and eventually the American Revolution.

In the centuries since the proclamation, it has become one of the cornerstones of Native American law in the United States and Canada. After the conclusion of the French and Indian war in America, the British Empire began to tighten control over its rather autonomous colonies. This royal proclamation, which closed down colonial expansion westward, was the first measure to affect all thirteen colonies. In response to a revolt of Native Americans led by Pontiac, an Ottawa chief, King George III declared all lands west of the Appalachian Divide off-limits to colonial

In order to appease the Indians, the King issued the Proclamation of 1763 which prohibited white settlers to colonize anywhere west of the Appalachian Mountains. Although it was accepted by the Indians, colonists resented the King’s orders to leave their homes. Some colonists were forcibly removed from their settlements, but many just ignored the regulation, causing Britain to adjust the boundary line within years of its establishment. With the placement of 10,000 troops in their towns, colonists became suspicious that the soldiers were being used to intimidate them, not protect them. This fear was further intensified when Parliament passed the Quartering Acts, requiring colonies to provide supplies and housing for the

There are many stories to explain the way the Boston Massacre had come to be, but the fundamental fact is that we don’t know. There are two sides presented to us and what actually took place is largely a mystery. The next major event to happen is the Boston Tea Party. They know the colonist drank tea because the colonists adapted that culturally from Britain.

The British were starting to lose control of the American colonies. Taxes and acts enacted changed the relationship between Britain and the American colonists. The Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts both showed that Britain was trying to enforce its power after being lenient with the colonists since the beginning of British rule. The Boston Massacre of 1770 was the point of no return for the colonists in their British relations and led to the American Revolution. The incident inflamed the colonists based on rumors that the affected colonists were shot without provocation, and because the colonists were already fed up with all the acts imposed by the British Parliament.

There were a mixture of people in the colonies at the time of the American Revolution. The Englishmen that lived in the colonies felt that the British government was treating them badly. As the government continued passing laws and taxing the colonies, the Englishmen began to rise slowly toward war against British. The British government was using the colonies for economic gain. By the end of the Seven Year War the British government was millions of dollars in debt.

The colonists had become accustomed to a limited degree of British regulation of trade. The Navigation Acts of 1660, for example, stipulated that no goods or commodities could be imported into or exported out of any British colony except in British ships. Later legislation stipulated that rice, molasses, beaver skins, furs, and naval stores could be shipped only to England. Duties were also imposed on the shipment of certain articles, such as rum and spirits. However, the Stamp Act was the first direct tax, a tax on domestically produced and consumed items, that Parliament ever levied upon the

Before the Boston massacre we had the Townshend Acts in 1768. Lord Townshend was in charge of raising revenue in a way that wouldn 't upset the colonist. Which in their eyes will be a external tax rather than an internal tax such as the stamp act. They are going to charge for imported and manufactured goods from Great Britain. Such as paper, paint, glass and led.

"The first step in Grenville’s new program was the Revenue Act (1764), popularly known as the Sugar Act." The purpose of the Sugar Act was to generate revenue for the British government. " It lowered the duties colonists had to pay on molasses but taxed sugar and other goods imported to the colonies and increased penalties for smuggling." Another factor was the desire to assert greater control over the colonies and consolidate imperial authority. The British government sought to establish its supremacy and maintain tighter regulation over colonial trade and economic activities.

The Boston Massacre was an “incident” that took place on march 5, 1770. On March 5, 1770 the colonists began taunting the British soldiers, this group of colonists called themselves patriots. They were protesting the occupation of their city by british troops that were sent to Boston in 1768 to enforce unpopular taxation measures passed by the British Parliament. The patriots started to riot so, Thomas Preston (the commander) ordered his to straighten their bayonets and join the guard outside the building. The colonists responded by throwing snowballs and other objects at the guards.

Imports of lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea were taxed; the British government wanted the colonists to pay so they created punishments for colonists who

After the Boston Massacre, it is clear that the colonists were fully responsible for what happened. The individuals who were responsible for the events of May 5, 1770 were the Boston colonists. For instance, the colonists provoked the British soldiers by saying phrases with inappropriate language. According to ‘Captain Preston’s Deposition from March 12, 1770’ it states, “The mob still increased and were outrageous, striking their clubs one against another, and calling out, come on you rascals, you bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels, fire if you dare, G-d damn you, fire and be damned, we know you dare not, and much more such language was used.” This demonstrates how the Boston colonists were aggravating the soldiers with their bitter words.

The taxes that the Sugar Act placed made the most money for Britain, more than any of the other taxes did. The colonist were very upset with the Sugar Act because of the way it was enforced. The Sugar Act took away the colonist’s right to a trial by jury when the British set up the Admiralty courts. Admiralty courts were where a judge decides the outcome rather than the colonial courts. The judges would earn 5% of however much the cargo load was worth if they could prove the person accused was guilty.