Discussion 3

In 1764, Parliament passed the Sugar Act, which attempted to raise revenue in the colonies by taxing
molasses. Although this tax had been on the books since the 1730s, smuggling and laxity of enforcement
had blunted its sting. The tax, on the other hand, was about to be enforced. People were outraged, and
colonists responded with a series of effective protest measures centered on boycotting British goods.
The Stamp Act, passed by Parliament in 1765, taxed paper, playing cards, and every legal document
created in the colonies. The reaction in the colonies was widespread because this tax affected virtually
everyone and extended British taxes to domestically produced and consumed goods. Even after the
Stamp Act was repealed, many colonists still had complaints about British colonial policies. Parliament
also enacted the Townshend Acts in 1767, which were taxes on goods imported into the colonies from
Britain, such as paper, paints, glass, and tea. Because these taxes were levied on imports, the British
considered them "external" taxes rather than internal taxes like the Stamp Act. The Tea Act was passed
by Parliament in 1773. The Act did not impose a new tax on tea; rather, it granted the East India
Company a virtual monopoly on selling tea in the colonies. The Tea Act rekindled feelings among many
more colonists about taxation without representation. The colonists quickly responded with another tea
boycott. Parliament quickly responded to this outrage with four acts intended to punish and isolate
Boston from the other colonies. It closed Boston's port, limited Massachusetts' powers of self-
government, allowed troops to be quartered in the colonies and allowed royal officers accused of crimes
to be tried in England. The British referred to these acts as coercive acts, while the colonists referred to
them as the Intolerable Acts. Isolating Boston with these new laws sparked new resistance across the
colonies. The Suffolk Resolves of 1774 was passed, outlining a strategy for resisting the Intolerable Acts.
The first Continental Congress, made up of elected representatives from twelve of America's thirteen
colonies, was a direct challenge to British authority. Colonists demanded the repeal of all repressive acts
passed in their Declaration and Resolves. While the colonists continued to regard themselves as British
subjects, they were gradually withdrawing from British authority, establishing their own government
through the First Continental Congress. The British acts against the colonies caused a great falling away
from the British government and initiated the Revolution.