HIS103Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Mutiny Acts, Quebec Act, Continental Army
British look for new method of governance
Solutions are the root of more problems which lead to break-up of British
empire in North America
British efforts to make settlers to pay for their own defence and administration
led those settlers to rethink and ultimately reject their place in the British
empire
During the war the British sent the regular British army to N.A., ending up
sending 10k soldiers
Settles in colonies would not organize to provide their own defence, expected
London to defend them
Doubled British national debt
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Increased taxation in great Britain
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Colonies remained lightly taxed --> not nearly as much as a person living
in Britain
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Obvious solution = increase taxation in N.A.
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Cost of 7 Years' War
Now only costs 3 pence per gallon to import
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How were they going to make money from lowering taxes?
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New taxes were actually going to be enforced for once
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Clamping down, Royal Navy plays a role in suppressing illegal trade,
ships are boarded, money is collected
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1764 Parliament passes Revenue Act - 'sugar act' - tax molasses that was
imported into N.A.
6 pence a gallon to import
○
However there was already a molasses tax from 1733
1st problem: Important people in America were concerned about losing money,
old system was working for them
2nd problem: is it fair for British government in Britain allowed to tax
Americans when Americans have no representation in British parliament
Questions whether the British government should/could tax British colonies
Tax on paper
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Any paper documents like newspapers or bills or sale
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Legal documents
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Had to have affixed to them a special stamp indicating that the tax on the
paper had been paid for
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Government appeals in 1766
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To make it work, it would have to be imposed in force in colonies --> not
interested in doing that
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Stamp act 1765
Colonists now think there has been a change of heart in London, that is false,
British are now going to double down and are more committed to raising
money
Effort to force the colonies to pay for the supplies and billeting of British
army troops in N.A.
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1765 Mutiny Act
Lot of attention in colonies
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People are worried that Britain is taking a more authoritarian stance
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1770 Protest, British Soldiers massacre people in Boston
American Revolution
November 14, 2016
2:04 PM
LECTURE Page 39
Document Summary
Solutions are the root of more problems which lead to break-up of british empire in north america. British efforts to make settlers to pay for their own defence and administration led those settlers to rethink and ultimately reject their place in the british empire. During the war the british sent the regular british army to n. a. , ending up sending 10k soldiers. Settles in colonies would not organize to provide their own defence, expected. Colonies remained lightly taxed --> not nearly as much as a person living in britain. 1764 parliament passes revenue act - "sugar act" - tax molasses that was imported into n. a. Now only costs 3 pence per gallon to import. New taxes were actually going to be enforced for once. Clamping down, royal navy plays a role in suppressing illegal trade, ships are boarded, money is collected. However there was already a molasses tax from 1733.
