Boston Massacre Dbq

Hundreds of years ago, there was a war that made the British stop controlling the American colonies and made what is today the United States of America. The colonies were huge underdogs with poor amounts of supplies and clothing, but surprisingly found a way to victory and got their independence from the British. Since the war, America has been an independent and powerful country in the world as they still are today. Sparks flew in colonist anger as British Parliament passed acts that America thought were unreasonable, such as the stamp act, this act was in place so the British could raise money. The colonists at this time had to buy stamps that were imprinted into paper goods, newspapers, documents, advertisements, and playing cards. The stamp act was one of the most hated acts by the Americans since it applied to everyone and they always needed the stamps. Another act the British made was a series of taxes called the townshend acts in 1767. This act was a tax on all imported goods, and made the Patriots

Huge debts were owed to Great Britain for supplying the colonists with military support and supplies. To pay the dues, there was the establishment of the Stamp Act, the taxation on domestic goods and services. A tax on domestic merchandise brought even more anger to the colonists. The Sugar Act, the Townshed Duties and the Tea Act were also all introduced with the same fundamentals: applying tax on goods whether it be directly or indirectly, domestic or international. “British commercial regulations imposed a paltry economic burden on Americans, who enjoyed a rapid economic growth and a standard of living higher than their European counterparts” (McGaughy). Each act resulted in irritated colonists. Some even retaliated by tarring and feathering certain English tax enforcers living in the colonies.

     The passing of the Stamp Act by Parliament in 1765 caused a rush of angry protests by the colonists in British America that perhaps "aroused and unified Americans as no previous political event ever had." It levied a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspapers, and nearly every other form of paper used in the colonies. Adding to this hardship was the need for the tax to be paid in British sterling, not in colonial paper money. Although this duty had been in effect in England for over half a century and was already in effect in several colonies in the 1750?s, it called into question the authority of Parliament over the overseas colonies that had no representation therein.

There were several acts that were passed without the consideration of the colonists that would force them to pay a ridiculous amount of taxes to the British mainland. One of these acts was named the Stamp Act, which was enacted in 1765, forced the colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper that they used. This would include legal documents, license, commercial contracts and newspapers in the tax. This tax mostly effected the wealthier and influential of the colonists and would force them to unite in opposition. There were several other acts that would be passed that would force the colonists to pay undue taxes to the British, such as the Quartering Act and the Tea

After a long time coming, the 13 colonies: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, finally won their independence against the british government on July 4th 1776. This war of independence made not only political changes for the US but also around the world. After years of tension building up, the first strike for americans to be against britain was when the British government implemented the Stamp Act. This was a tax on all stamps to help reimburse Britain for the land they acquired for the 13 colonies. The colonist weren’t all that thrilled about this tax not only because the tax was high but because they had no representation

The taxes passed by Parliament angered the colonists because they were unconstitutional, and did not give Americans representation in the courts. In a resolution, the text states “... This tax… [is] unconstitutional. We have always understood it to be a grand and fundamental principle.. That no … man should be subject to any tax to which he has not given consent… In the … courts one judge presides alone! No juries [are allowed]” ( Document 1). Here, John Adams is informing his peers of his negative opinion on the first of Parliament’s taxes, the Stamp Act, which was passed on November 1, 1765. This act required Colonists to pay unreasonable fees on almost all printed documents. It is an

First, the Stamp Act of 1765 is an act that required the colonists to pay on paper items. This act angered many colonists and the colonists can not let this pass them. “The English passed the Stamp Act so the colonists can help pay their expenses from the French and Indian War”(Colonial Unrest). With anger, groups like the Sons of Liberties stopped stamped paper being unloaded off decks. Then, merchants had a plan and agreed not to buy anything from the British. Also, representatives from different colonies formed the Stamp Act Congress and demanded Parliaments to reverse the act. In conclusion,

In addition, the British don’t have to pay the tax. We should receive the same rights, however, we don’t. This is unfair treatment. The recent law is also expensive. We are forced to pay for the stamp for each product the colonists create. Businesses shouldn’t have to pay for these stamps. They are too expensive. These laws hurt America and should be stopped.

Beginning with the Stamp Acts, the first tax (March 22nd, 1765) to the colonists by the British, ignited the strong belief of “no taxation without representation” coined by Jonathan Mayhew. The Stamp Acts consisted of a tax on ship’s papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and playing cards; which in the colonist’s defense, is a common item especially with merchants who would have to buy licenses and ship papers on the daily. The money gathered by the Stamp Act was to pay for the ten thousand troops to be stationed near the Appalachian mountains in the case of defending them. However, colonists believed that taxes previously were to help economic growth, but not raise money. Also, no colonial legislative actions had given approval either (Document 6).

The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773, and is marked as one of the greatest catalysts of the American Revolution. Colonists were enraged by British taxation without proper representation after the French and Indian war. The war had cost the crown dearly and in response, parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765 and the Townsend Revenue Acts in 1767 as an effort to replenish their depleted treasury. Parliament retraced the Stamp Act and the taxes put in place by the Townsend Acts, except for a duty on tea; a "demonstration of Parliament's ability and right to tax the colonies"("The Boston Tea Party"). This caused patriots across the country to refuse to allow ships of tea to land as a protest of Parliament's unfair taxation on the

The French and Indian War of 1754, known in Europe as the “Seven Years War”, was a war for control of the Americas between the French and the British. The American colonists allied with the British. The British victory over the French ended French rule in North America. The war left Britain in major debt. The British began imposing new imperial policies upon the American Colonists to raise revenue to pay for the war. The Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Acts of 1767, and the Coercive Acts of 1774 were British imperial policies that intensified colonial resistance to British crown and made the colonists more committed to their republican values.

To help pay off their debt, England scheduled the initiation of the Stamp Act, which placed a tax on fifty different documents, on November 1, 1765 (Gale Par. 2; Brindell 13). This act was to put a tax “upon every paper commonly called a pamphlet and upon every newspaper” (Copeland 193). Because the Stamp Act was an internal tax, which meant this tax law was only enforced in America, this made the colonists even

I am an American colonist in 1765 that does not like England's taxes. I do not believe that Parliament should have started the stamp act. Parliament wanted to give us taxes to get England's money back. Some of us were angry about England's taxes. Some of us might stop buying paper products. England should have thought about that. If we did stop buying paper products, some of us would be mad. Furthermore, the people that were angry could have gone back to England. So England would get less money from the taxes. [If we pay them.] Also, if we went back, England would have less of a settlement. Some people in England

When the Boston Tea Party occurred on the evening of December 16,1773, it was the culmination of many years of bad feeling between the British government and her American colonies. The controversy between the two always seemed to hinge on the taxes, which Great Britain required for the upkeep of the American colonies. Starting in 1765, the Stamp Act was intended by Parliament to provide the funds necessary to keep peace between the American settlers and the Native American population. The Stamp Act was loathed by the American colonists and later repealed by parliament.

The Boston Massacre is considered by many historians to be the first battle of the Revolutionary War. The fatal incident happened on March 5 of 1770. The massacre resulted in the death of five colonists. British troops in the Massachusetts Bay Colony were there to stop demonstrations against the Townshend Acts and keep order, but instead they provoked outrage. The British soldiers and citizens brawled in streets and fought in bars. “The citizens viewed the British soldiers as potential oppressors, competitors for jobs, and a treat to social mores”. A defiant anti-British fever was lingering among the townspeople.