Make A Decision: Acts of Tyranny
Name:____Nate Adams_________
Pretend you are a New York colonist in 1766. You are a middle-
class small-time merchant and have a family of five who depend
on you. What are your views on the Stamp, Quartering, and
Declaratory Acts? Will you join the Sons of Liberty, or did you
attend the Stamp Act Congress? Would you consider yourself a
British Citizen (This question is not based on how you feel, but
whether at this point and time you were in fact still considered a
subject of the crown)?
If you think that these acts were legal
under the British Constitution why, if not what made them illegal?
What groups do you think will have the greatest effect on British
perceptions of the colonists? Write a minimum of four sentences
to answer these questions and give your opinions.
Make sure your
opinions are supported by historical facts. Feel free to reference
your notes or the power point on this information located on
Canvas.
The Stamp Act imposed onerous taxes on printed materials, which
would increase my business costs. I would oppose this act as it
violated the principle of "no taxation without representation," and
I had no voice in the British Parliament. The Quartering Act would
be unsafe to my family. I might join the Stamp Act Congress to
voice my opposition, but I wouldn’t join the Sons of Liberty due to
concerns about mob violence. At this point, I still considered
myself a British subject. I would argue that these acts were illegal
under the British Constitution because they violated established
principles of English law and colonial charters, including the right
to be taxed only by representatives. Groups like the committees
of correspondence and colonial newspapers would have the
greatest impact on British perceptions of the colonists by
effectively conveying colonial grievances and creating awareness
of the injustices faced by the colonists.
