Taxation and Crisis 09/18/07

1763

Popular Sovereignty

Final right to rule is retained by the people themselves

America wants PS but not easy

Britain number 1 nation in world

Tories

Believers that the crown should not be the subject of the will of the people

Loyalists

Whigs

Believe that crown and parliament can rule together

Sugar act, established 63, enacted 64

To pay for F+I War

Increased tax on sugared items

Molasses

1763: The Paxton Boys

Decide to occupy start of Ohio Valley

Encounter Native American resistance

Decide to fight the Indians

Pennsylvania Assembly ordered arrest of Paxton boys for fighting Indians

PB's marched back east to Philly in protest

Benjamin Franklin calmed PB's down

Showed them how to file a formal complaint

Told them to create representation for them

Less representation for settlers farther West, so far away from colony capitals

Proclamation Line

Line at Alegany River

Past that line, no protection or representation

People still Crossed

Currency act

Designed to punish Virgina

VA wanted to create there own legal tender

Britain wants them to use British currency

Br Nullifies all assemblies that talk about currency

May 1764, Boston MA

Denounced theme of no taxation w/o representation

Call upon colonies to unite in opposition to sugar act, currency acts, proclamation line

Rebel with non-importation

NI only works if everyone agrees on it

Direct Tax

Stamp Act of 65

All paper goods are taxed

All paper goods must have stamp or illegal

Newpapers, Legal Documents, Playing Cards, Pamphlets, Licenses, Bills

Can't boycott paper

Enforced by stamp acts agents

Damaging to lawyers, Teachers, Publishers, anyone who works, especially educated

Sons of Liberty, 65

Organized group to oppose the stamp act

Used violence to make Stamp Act Agents resign

Forced merchants not to import British goods

Boston, August 1765, Vice Admiral of records was faced by Sons of Liberty

Home ransacked

Business burned

Thomas Hutchinson, lead justice had house ransacked

Patrick Henry

Writes on behalf of educated class

Treason Speech

Threatened King

Fans the flame of revolution