Milestones: 1750–1775 - Office of the Historian
Milestones: 1750–1775
Parliamentary taxation of colonies, international trade, and the American                     Revolution, 1763–1775
The American Revolution was precipitated, in part, by a series of laws passed                     between 1763 and 1775 that regulating trade and taxes. This legislation caused                     tensions between colonists and imperial officials, who made it clear that the                     British Parliament would not address American complaints that the new laws were                     onerous. British unwillingness to respond to American demands for change allowed                     colonists to argue that they were part of an increasingly corrupt and autocratic                     empire in which their traditional liberties were threatened. This position                     eventually served as the basis for the colonial Declaration of Independence .
Boston Tea Party
In 1763, the British government emerged from the Seven Years’ War burdened by                     heavy debts. This led British Prime Minister George                         Grenville to reduce duties on sugar and molasses but also to                     enforce the law more strictly. Since enforcement of these duties had previously                     been lax, this ultimately increased revenue for the British Government and                     served to increase the taxes paid by the colonists. The colonial governments of                     New York and Massachusetts sent formal letters of protest to Parliament.
The end of the war had also brought about a postwar recession, and British                     merchants began to request payment for debts that colonists had incurred buying                     British imports. Moreover, they wanted payment in British pounds sterling rather                     than colonial currency of more questionable value. The result was that the                     British Parliament passed the 1764 Currency Act which forbade the colonies from                     issuing paper currency. This made it even more difficult for colonists to pay                     their debts and taxes.
Soon after Parliament passed the Currency Act, Prime Minister Grenville proposed                     a Stamp Tax. This law would require colonists to purchase a government-issued stamp for legal documents and other paper goods. Grenville submitted the bill to                     Parliament for questioning, and only one member raised objections to                     Parliament’s right to tax the colonies.
After news of the successful passage of the Stamp Act reached the colonies, the                     Virginia House of Burgesses passed resolutions denying the British Parliament’s                     authority to tax the colonies. In Boston, colonists rioted and destroyed the                     house of the stamp distributor. News of these protests inspired similar                     activities and protests in other colonies, and thus the Stamp Act served as a                     common cause to unite the 13 colonies in opposition to the British Parliament.                     In October of 1765, delegates from 9 colonies met to issue petitions to the                     British Government denying Parliament’s authority to tax the colonies. An                     American boycott of British goods, coupled with recession, also led British                     merchants to lobby for the act’s repeal on pragmatic economic grounds. Under                     pressure from American colonists and British merchants, the British Government                     decided it was easier to repeal the Stamp Act than to enforce it.
The repeal of the Stamp Act temporarily quieted colonial protest, but there was                     renewed resistance to new taxes instituted in 1767 under the Townshend Acts.                     However, in 1773, the colonists staged more vocal widespread protests against                     the British Parliament’s decision to grant the East India Company a monopoly on                     the tax-free transport of tea. Although Parliament did lower taxes levied on                     other tea importers, the tax-free status of the British East India Company meant                     that colonial tea traders could not compete. Enraged colonists responded by                     encouraging a general boycott of British goods. On December 16, 1773, American                     colonists disguised as Indians boarded East India Company ships in Boston Harbor                     and threw crates of tea overboard. This famous protest came to be known as the                     Boston Tea Party.
When news of the Tea Party reached England, British officials moved to enforce                     discipline and order in the colonies. The British Government ordered the closure                     of the port of Boston until the East India Company was compensated for the                     destroyed tea. Parliament also passed several pieces of legislation in 1774                     which attempted to place Massachusetts under direct British control. In the                     American colonies, these laws were referred to as the Intolerable Acts. British                     control was further solidified by the appointment of General Thomas Gage as                     military governor of Massachusetts.
By 1774, opinion among the colonists was mixed. Some Bostonians felt that the                     time had come to ease tensions and sent to London a written offer to pay for the                     destroyed tea. Others put out a colony-wide call for a boycott. However, many                     colonial merchants were reluctant to participate in a difficult-to-enforce                     boycott. Despite this disagreement, most colonists agreed that a meeting to                     discuss an appropriate collective response to British actions was a good idea.                     Colonial legislatures sent representatives to Philadelphia, and the First                     Continental Congress convened in September of 1774. The Continental Congress                     agreed to the Articles of Association on October 20. These Articles listed                     colonial grievances and called for a locally-enforced boycott in all the                     colonies to take effect on December 1. The delegates also drafted a petition to                     King George III laying out their grievances, although by then they doubted that                     the crisis would be resolved peacefully.
Realizing that further coercive steps would only enrage the colonists and might                     lead to war, British military governor Gage wrote to London recommending                     suspension of the Intolerable Acts. Gage hoped to appease many of the colonists                     and thereby split colonial moderates from radicals. If London was not amenable                     to his recommendations, Gage stated that he would need significant                     reinforcements to crush the growing rebellion.
British ministers responded to Gage’s suggestions by removing him from his post.                     They felt that further punitive measures were necessary and pushed Parliament to                     pass additional trade restrictions on New England. London declared the colonies                     to be in rebellion, but also offered to stop taxing those colonies that                     supported the British Government.
By this time, the most astute leaders from both sides viewed armed conflict as                     inevitable. Gage’s attempts to secure his position in Boston only brought him                     into conflict with local militias and a hostile populace, and it was only a                     matter of time until open war began in 1775. The opportunity for peaceful                     negotiation came to an end, and the war for American Independence began on April                     19, 1775 when British troops and American colonists clashed at Lexington and                     Concord.