...without the consent of the colonists. As the Molasses Act was ending in 1764, Prime Minister George Grenville decided to renew if under a different name, The Sugar Act. Knowing that the colonists did not following the Molasses Act, this one would be strongly enforced. As the price of Molasses dropped so did the need to smuggle and this began to hurt the already impoverished colonists. One of the many ways colonists began to show their anger was to boycott British goods. They also began purchasing from other countries, which began to outrage King George. The Currency Act of 1764 passed by Prime Minister George Grenville prohibited the use of all paper money. This affected all colonists and in turn made their debt overwhelming. However, the Prime Minister did not stop there and passed the Stamp Act. This Act required all paper goods to have the British Seal affixed to it in order to be a legal document. The colonists were outraged and began to violently riot. While the previous Sugar Act affected trade, this new act affected colonist directly. There was no representation for colonists and as they began to voice their concerns, Parliament felt that it was “superfluous.” This once again irritated the colonists and they began to develop organized protests. The amount of colonists that united was growing and their pressure against stamp agents had many backing away from implementing it. What became known as the Stamp Act Congress represented all but four colonies as they...
Words: 823 - Pages: 4
...There is no doubt that the Founding Fathers and colonists had multiple reasons for turning against the British government. They believed that the British were treating colonists unfairly. The British passed many tax laws that were detrimental to the colonists. Unfair Taxation, the intolerable acts, and most importantly the king did not address the concerns of the colonists. I can understand the point of view of the colonists, they had no say in how the taxes were collected and spent. Furthermore, acts such as the stamp act of 1765 taxed common goods such as newspapers, pamphlets, and cards. Moreover, Parliament was not willing to give colonists which considered themselves British subjects a seat in parliament. Consequently, in order to try and get parliament to listen, many riots, boycotts, and protests such as the Boston Tea Party occurred. It is easy to see why the colonists thought that taxes were unfair. However, some people believed that American colonists paid fair taxes since the government supported and defended the colonists. But, the British government, had Laws which taxed common goods and controlled their trade. Which in turn, caused the colonists to become alarmed and think that these laws threatened the right to govern themselves. Equally important, the intolerable acts were passed in Massachusetts as a consequence of many protests and disturbances that occurred. Britain thought that the riots were just isolated incidents in Massachusetts. Thus, the acts were...
Words: 607 - Pages: 3
