Problems Between Britain and the Colonies

At the end of the French and Indian War, the hostilities between Great Britain and the colonies progressed intensely. Britain started taxing the colonies while restricting their economy. Many violent arguments between the colonists and Britain also broke out, and fierce battles were fought due to the disagreements. Since Britain was in debt after the French and Indian War, they needed money, and an easy way to get the money was by taxing the colonists. The first tax was the Sugar Act that was passed by Parliament in 1764. This tax ensured that any colonist who bought imported molasses or sugar had to pay a tax. This was the first act that was passed particularly to profit from the colonies instead of their usual attempts to balance the trade of the colonies. The colonists weren’t happy with the tax, so they boycotted all goods that had extra expenses. Britain then decided to issue the Stamp Act of 1765 when they realized that the Sugar Act was not helpful. The Stamp Act affected most colonists since many of them needed paper goods. The tax demanded the colonists to pay for an official stamp every time they used legal documents, licenses, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards. Once again, the colonists weren’t happy, but this time, they organized groups such as the Sons of Liberty to control the situation. These groups would threaten and frighten the tax collectors into quitting so they could avoid paying the tax. Colonial courts began shutting down due to the fact that the colonists were once again boycotting the goods. Parliament was forced to repeal the tax, but then in March 1766, they issued the Declaratory Act that said that Parliament could do whatever they wished to do (make laws, pass taxes, raise taxes) to the colonists “in all cases whatsoever”. This caused even more tension between the two lands. Parliament passed the Townshend Acts in June of 1767. This was a tax on imported glass, paint, paper, tea, and lead. This Act also allowed tax collectors to get writs of assistance, a special form that allowed tax collectors to search for a colonist’s smuggled goods. This displeased the colonists since the new law broke the colonists’ constitutional rights. As a result, the colonists boycotted and also turned violent when secret societies such as the Sons of Liberty raided some tax collectors’ homes. British soldiers were sent to Boston in October 1768 in order to control the Bostonians. While the soldiers were in Boston, a large rumble exploded into a fight where an angry mob of colonists threw snowballs and verbally assaulted the British soldiers, who fought back by shooting at them. Five colonists died and the soldiers along with their officer, Thomas Preston was charged with murder. Samuel Adams tried to use this to his advantage and as propaganda. The British men claimed they only acted upon self defense since the colonists were harassing them, and they were tried not guilty. A large number of colonists remained furious at the British because of the unfair results. Parliament repealed most of the Townshend Acts. They repealed the taxes to calm the colonists down during the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, though they kept the tax on tea because Britain knew that the colonies needed tea, and instead of paying the proper taxes, they would smuggle it to avoid the tax. The British East India Company came up with a good answer to the problem. They proposed the Tea Act which would allow them to sell their tea straight to the colonists while only making the colonists pay a little bit. However, with the Company taking over the colonists’ ability to buy and sell tea, many merchants were getting frustrated and worried for the future of their sales. In response to the British East India Company, colonists held the Boston Tea Party. A group of colonists disguised as Native Americans snuck onto several ships filled with tea and dumped about 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. When Britain found out about the Boston Tea Party, they passed the Coercive Acts in 1774 which as known as the Intolerable Acts to the colonists. The Intolerable Acts wanted the Boston Harbor to remain closed until the Bostonians paid for all the tea that they wasted during the Boston Tea Party. It also canceled the Massachusetts charter, allowed royal officials who were accused of crimes to face friendlier judges and juries in Britain, and made colonists house and supply British soldiers against their will. However, instead of restoring peace and order to the colonies, the acts just made them more furious than they already were. Once again, the colonists decided to boycott all of the British goods that were being sold in the colonies. They were feeling taken advantage of and abused, and they wanted that to change. In 1174, the First Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia to discuss the dilemmas of the colonies. They agreed to continue the boycott against the British goods and also constructed list of resolutions they agreed to show King George III. They demanded the things that they thought every colonist should have. Meanwhile, they were cautious in case the British wanted to fight. Militia members knew that the British were going to fight them some day, so they started to call themselves minutemen since they believed that in a minute’s notice, they would be ready to fight. Some secret groups found out what the British were planning, so they had spies tell Paul Revere and William Dawes that the British troops were heading towards Concord. In the night of April 18th, 1775, Revere and Dawes sped through the countryside cautioned all of the minutemen that the British were coming. The next morning, less than 70 militiamen united at Lexington village Green. They realized that they were up against large British troops and that it would be a tough battle. A shot suddenly thundered out and that was known as “the shot heard around the world” because it was the first shot of the Revolutionary War. The colonists were very badly outnumbered so the fight ended quickly. As soon as the fight was over, the troops marched out of Lexington and into Concord. Eight colonists died and ten were wounded, while more than 250 British soldiers died when the troops were retreating back to Boston. The militiamen hid from the soldiers’ view to shoot the Redcoats. British soldiers were called Redcoats because of the color of their uniform. This battle was considered a victory for the colonists. The Second Continental Congress met in May 1775, in Philadelphia to discuss plans of constructing a Continental Army. They decided that George Washington would lead the army. Although the Congress was conversing about war, they still attempted to keep the peace with the Olive Branch Petition. However, King George III angrily turned it down. In Massachusetts of 1175, minutemen held Boston under a siege while the British made plans to conquer Charlestown. The colonial militia heard of the plan and sped over to construct protection on the nearby hills: Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. However, the colonists made a mistake; they did not have enough gunpowder to last the entire fight. When the British arrived at Breed’s Hill, the colonists were ordered not to fire until the enemy got up close. After a little bit of fighting, the militiamen ran out of ammunition and were forced to retreat. 1,000 British soldiers died, while only 400 colonists died. This battle proved that the colonists were capable in a fight against the British since it took a lot of willpower to defeat so many British troops. The Declaration of Independence was made shortly after the Battle of Bunker Hill. All of these taxes and violent acts sparked anger into the minds of the colonists and made the Declaration that much more important in American History.