Cole Townsend
Parliamentary Acts and Colonial Responses Chart
Parliamentary Act
 1760-Writs of Assistance
o A search warrant that allowed illegally imported goods to be
confiscated
 1764-Sugar Act (Revenue Act)
o Raise revenues to offset military expenses in America
o Amended the Molasses Act by lowering the tax to 3 pence to
prevent bribes
o Reversed court room procedures, British appointed judge,
corrupt
 1765-Stamp Act
o Colonists must use special watermarked paper
o Internal tax on property, designed to make money
 
 1766-Declaratory Act
o Parliament could make any law and colonies must obey
 1765-Quartering act
o Colonists must provide basic necessities for soldiers
 1767 Revenue act (Townshend duties)
o Taxed glass, paint, lead, paper, tea
 1773-Tea act
Colonial Response
 Did not like the fact that soldiers could come in homes as they pleased
 Unconstitutional, Boston merchants hired James Otis to take legal action
 Challenged parliamentary authority
 Continued to smuggle molasses until the tax was lowered to 1 penny
 Did not like the fact that there was no representation
 Patrick Henry sparked resistance to the Stamp Act
 Loyal 9 were started to foil stamp distributors
 Andrew Oliver in Boston had his home burned down by a riot
 Sons of Liberty founded to prevent violence and organize peaceful
resistance
 Stamp Act Congress in Albany to unite colonies
 Interpreted the law as they wished
 
 New Yorkers refused to help any soldiers
 John Dickinson wrote Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania which
sparked interest in resisting the tax
 Samuel Adams wrote a circular letter for Massachusetts
 Colonists boycotted British goods-women were key because they were
household goods being taxed
 Threat to colonial governments
 Cole Townsend
Parliamentary Acts and Colonial Responses Chart

o Eliminated all taxes on British tea and eliminated middle man  Did not want the new law to corrupt them into accepting taxation
for East India Company without representation
 Resisted importation of tea-Boston Tea Part

 1774-Coercive Acts aka Intolerable acts  Made colonists believe Britain wanted to get rid of English liberties in
a. Boston Port Bill America
i. Boston harbor was closed  Continental Congress founded in Philadelphia
b. Mass. Government act o Endorsed Suffolk Resolves
i. Revoked the Mass. Charter and changed government  Did not owe obedience to any Coercive Acts
c. Administration of Justice Act aka Murder Act o Boycott all British goods and no longer export to Britain
i. Anyone tried for murder that was enforcing royal o Wrote Olive Branch Petition
authority would be tried in another country (British Empire)  Cease fire in Boston, no more Coercive acts, American
d. New Quartering Act rights
i. Empty private homes could be used to house troops