If you are like me, then the various acts and their orders may sometimes get you a bit jumbled and confused. In this post I will attempt to define and explain the significance of each act so that everyone call tell their Sugar Act from their Stamp Act and their Townshend Act from their Tea Act.
The first important act to take note of is the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Acts were originally created to block the Dutch's interference in trade in North America. They proclaimed that all goods that were carried to and from the colonies must be carried on English ships. The significance of this act in our context is that after 1763, they were actually enforced and thus the hampering of English mercantilist policy more prevalent on the American colonies.
The second important act to define would be the Sugar Act of 1764. It was a duty on sugar from the West Indies. The main significance of this act was that it was the first tax to raise revenue for the crown, the idea being that the colonists would be held responsible for 1/3 of their defense.
The third important act would be the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act was required to be paid for all legal documents such as letters or marriage licenses. The money went towards the soldiers that were at this time present in the colonies. Because it affected everyone and took away power from the colonial assemblies, it was widely disliked by the colonists. They felt that they were being taxed without representation, and this was a violation of their rights. In order to get this act repealed, they held a Stamp Act Congress, as well as agreed to non-importation agreements which had a huge effect of British trade. Ultimately, the Stamp Act was repealed because of this.
The next important act would be the Declaratory Act. The Declaratory Act was an attempt to save face after the repealing of the Stamp Act. According to the Declaratory Act, Parliament had the right to tax the colonists whether they liked it or not.
Following this act would be the Townshend Acts. The Townshend Acts were a group of acts that taxed items such as paper, glass, and most importantly, tea. The money from these taxes went to paying the royal governors, which greatly angered the colonists. They had been using the governors' paychecks as a means of controlling them, and now this power was being taken away! The colonists began smuggling their way around these acts, and ultimately the British soldiers that were sent to prevent this helped to inflame the Boston Massacre. The Townshend Acts were repealed because of more non-importation agreements, but the tea tax remained.
The Tea Act was important in the sense that the colonists felt that the lower cost of British East India Company tea was really just a trap for them to pay the tax! The principle angered the colonists, and this would lead to the burning and dumping of tea (Boston Tea Party one such example). This clear act of aggression enflamed the British who felt obligated to punish the colonists, especially the Bostonians.
Another important series of acts were the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were a harsh series of punishments, which did things such as close the Boston Harbor and allow officials that killed colonists to be tried in England. Overall, many of the colonists felt that the Intolerable Acts were too harsh for the crime, and so many colonies provided aid such as food for Boston. The first Continental Congress would be held after these acts came into play.
Finally, the last act to know would be the Quebec Act. The Quebec Act was not really about the colonists at all but their French neighbors. It guaranteed the French their Catholic religion, and the ability to retain their old customs and institutions. The boundaries of Quebec were also increased southward all the way to the Ohio River. The significance of this act is that the colonists felt that it was not only an attack on their institutions (the French did no have trial by jury and popular assembly) but also placed a Catholic enemy right above them! It was also a huge mass of land to lose.
Now that you have a better grasp of the acts, do you think anything is missing from what is listed above? Was all the important information covered in your opinion?
There were also the infamous Royal proclamation of 1763 which flatly prohibited settlement in the area beyond the Appalachian. It was set by the English so they could deal with the problem of Native Americans without colonial interruption. Though the idea seemed to be in favor of the Colonist many especially land speculators were angered. They felt the land of the new world was their birth right and they deserved it after fighting in the recent war against the French. This caused one of the many conflicts leading to the Revolutionary War. Just wanted to add this although it may not be an official act it is still an important catalyst for the revolution.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rebecca, this is very helpful! You mentioned how the Navigation Acts weren't actually enforced until 1763. This was due to the infamous writs of assistance. It basically gave British soldiers to authority to search any American ship. This was especially aimed at stopping colonial trade with France, Britain's arch enemy. Patriot James Otis spoke out strongly against the writs of assistance, claiming they validated "natural rights". We can see the significance of this today in the 4th amendment, which protects Americans against "unreasonable searches and seizures." In other words, in most cases authorities need a search warrant before they search someone's personal property.
ReplyDeleteSuper helpful, thank you! One thing to add is the British reactions to some of the measures that the Americans took. Like when the Stamp Act was imposed, the British were astonished that the Americans were protesting so insistently. However, the British endured an even heavier Stamp Act tax for two generations. Under British mercantilism, the Americans didn't even have to pay British taxes, and they didn't tax themselves. It seems that the Americans were given too many privileges in the first place, which is why there were so many disputes about taxes. Acts that the British found moderate and reasonable seemed outrageous to the Americans. For most of these acts, the British believed that they were being fair.
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