Colonies: The Colonists As Citizens Of Great Britain

Soon the Quartering Act was passed, directing the colonies to provide quarters for British soldiers. Americans found this oppressive because it meant that soldiers were placed in colonial homes. In 1764 Parliament passed the Stamp Act, putting a duty on most printed materials. This was a normal tax for the British as it had been going on in Britain for a long time, and it made sense that the rest of their empire would pay the same tax. This placed a burden on merchants and the colonial elite who did most legal transactions and read the newspapers. Also passed in the same year was the Declaratory Act, which stated that the colonies were subject to the will of Parliament. This made a lot of sense to the British, as Parliament was their ruling body, but, to the colonies who had become used to their own government during the years of salutory neglect, this was a direct threat to their way of life.

The British had sent more than 10,000 troops to North America by the end of the French and Indian War. The British felt like they had spent a great deal of money in protecting the American colonists. They were in debt around 140 million pounds. To pay off all of their debt the British decided to increase the enforcement of existing taxes on the Colonists and impose additional taxes. The British issued The Proclamation of 1763 which meant the colonists couldn’t cheat the Indians out of land. They also establish a border in where they could not buy land. This made the colonist mad because it made them feel like the British were interfering and trying to limit their economic growth.

This enraged the colonist and made them rethink their political views. The Proclamation of 1763 also had a significant effect on the attitudes of the colonials towards the British. After the war and the Treaty of Paris, the Proclamation of 1763 was one of the first documents issued to govern the colonies. This proclamation simply stated that no further settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains would be allowed. The colonists looked at the proclamation as putting an off limits sign on the Ohio River Valley which the whole war had started over. The Proclamation was actually misinterpreted by the colonist and Britain’s failure to clearly identify its intentions began the chain of events that led to the American Revolution. Each political step taken by the British after the French and Indian War drew Americans closer and closer to revolution.

Due to the British tightening their control over the colonies to pay off the huge debt after the French and Indian War, patriots rebelled and started a revolution that would lead to great things. These were colonists who believed that the right to govern themselves belonged to the colonies. Britain had recently gotten into a war in the Americas against France and the Native Americans. Although they won and expanded their American empire, the debt they were in was just about up to their necks. To help solve this problem, they took more control over the colonies. Before the Proclamation of 1763, Britain did not pay much attention to the colonies. However Prime Minister George Grenville needed help to pay off the debt, and the British people were already paying taxes on several of their

Great Britain felt the need to deploy more troops to the US after French war. In doing so this brought the British into financial strain. With a number of huge debts to pay the Crown and Parliament focused its attention to the American colonies in seeking financial gain. Great Britain’s Crown and Parliament forced upon the American colonies laws in the form of Acts that benefited its own countries identity and not that of the American people. The American colonists were justified in declaring their independence from Great Britain mainly due in part from many acts unjustly instilled upon them such as the Sugar Act of 1764, Stamp Act of 1765, and the Townshend Acts of 1767.

The British also felt that they could not afford to lose the vast amount of territory they had won for America during the war. So the British Government permanently stationed regular troops in the colonies to protect their interests. This resulted in the Quartering Act of 1765. This stipulated that British regular troops were to be lodged in public houses, inns, even empty homes if the barracks were overcrowded or unavailable. Furthermore, this lodging was to be at the expense of the local colonist authorities. The colonists did not see the need for the standing army as the war was already won. The reaction of the Reverend John Tucker of Boston

The Proclamation of 1763 stated that all lands west of the Appalachian Mountains were off-limits to the colonists. The purpose of the proclamation was mainly to stabilize relations with Native North Americans through regulation of trade, settlement, and land purchases on the western frontier. On March 1765, Parliament passed the Quartering Act which stated that each colonial family must provide the basic needs of soldiers stationed within its borders and to give the soldiers certain items included bedding, cooking utensils, beer or cider. This law was expanded in 1766 and required the assemblies to station soldiers in taverns and unoccupied houses. American Colonist had to use their time and money in order to keep the soldier happy. Also, during this time period, the colonies did not have enough physical paper money to conduct trade because currency could only be obtained through trade as regulated by Great Britain. On September 1, 1764, Parliament passed the Currency Act, which gave Britain the control of currency in America. The act prohibited the issue of any new bills and the reissue of existing currency. Parliament was not inclined to regulate the colonial bills but simply abolished them. The colonies were against this because they suffered a trade deficit with Great Britain to begin with and argued that the

Life in colonial Williamsburg, Virginia exemplified what life was like in most of the colonies in America. Prior to the Revolution, the colonists were beginning to exert more independence from the Britain. Williamsburg was primed for revolution with its political views, its armory, its weaponry, and its interesting citizens.

Before the American Revolution, there are several British Colonies in the Americas. Not all of them participated in the revolution. There were 13 clones which ended up rebelling. These were Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Mary land,North Carolina, South Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. The colonists wanted to be free from the England. They started to fight the soldiers of the English army in 1775. The Americans started a war with England. We call it the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was on April 19, 1775 and is called the “shot heard around the world” It was named that because the hand draw action of the battles of Lexington and concord an the siege of Boston

Second, the Quartering Act of 1765 was an act which provided places and supplies for troops and soldiers. “The English passed the Quartering Act because it provided protection for the colonists”(Colonial Unrest). It frustrated the colonists because instead of protecting the colony the colonists felt like the troops were controlling them. Also, “It would make the colonies pay for some of the costs of having

The wars which happened between 1754 and 1763 had a high impact on the colonies that were initially proud to be part and parcel of Great Britain. However, as it was noted later after the war, most colonists got increasingly bothered by various Acts passed by the Britain

The freedoms and opportunities enjoyed by the colonists after the American Revolution were not simply established as much as they were fought tooth and nail for. The colonists between the 15th and 18th century faced much turmoil in which they had to overcome in order to become the success they sought after. Many of these freedoms and opportunities came at a cost to other people and cultures as the colonists paved their way to a new society. To gain full benefits of their freedoms, the colonists would also have to explore new ideals to shape the way they run their lives in order to be true successes. These successions can be tied back to the first Native American treaties.

By 1765, at a Stamp Act Congress, all but four colonies were represented as the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was passed. They were determined to let Parliament know that they were equal to British citizens, that there would be no “taxation without representation,” and all efforts to stop tax on colonists would continue (Kennedy, etal 2011.) Although Lord Rockingham, the predecessor of Grenville, sought to repeal of the Stamp Act, this in no way meant Parliament was conceding their control. In fact, while the Stamp Act was repealed, another called the “Declaratory Act of 1766,” gave Parliament the authority to make laws binding the American Colonies, “in all cases whatsoever.” In 1767, George III passed the Townshend Acts to collect tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and, tea. Recognizing that tea was a favorite among the Americans, it ensured greater revenue the British government. Again, the colonists’ rights for representation were ignored and they started to boycott British goods and ultimately, smuggle tea. When the Quartering Act was passed, which specified that colonists were to give room and board to British troops, tension began to rise. For two years, the colonists tolerated British troops on their soil and their dissatisfaction with the British Parliament and King George III became evident through many violent riots, abusiveness of tax collectors and destruction of property. According to Kennedy, etal (2011), Parliament, continually met with

After having years of benign British neglect, and after capably governing themselves, the people in the American colonies were not pleased when the British Parliament decided after the end of the successful end of the French Indian War in 1763 to become more engaged in the American colonists’ affairs. The British government wanted to protect the American colonies from future Indian and other attacks.

Changes in British policies toward the colonies between 1750 and 1776 played paramount in the evolution of relations between British North America and Mother England. Tension between England and the colonies mounted from the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War to the signing of the Declaration of Independence as a result of the several implemented changes imposed by Parliament for the purpose of increasing income and tightening the grip on America.