The American Revolution

Colonists were paying more taxes, this was making the colonist angrier than before!
The government said that colonist needed to pay more!

The Sugar Quartering and Stamp Acts Law
The colonial merchants became rich from trading, they were smugglers and avoided paying taxes from their imports.
1764- George Grenville protested to collect duties in effect.

The Sugar Act lowered the duty molasses.
Molasses: A thick syrup produced during the refining of sugar.
Grenville created corks that collected duty/taxes and persecuted the smugglers.
In early 1765, they had another law: "The Quartering Act". It was to give a room to people who fought British troops, housing and supplies.


Massachusetts Government Act: they couldn't elect the assembly, They put colonies under an appointed government and could not have meeting.
Later in 1765 appeared the "Stamp Act"

The Stamp Act: Every printed material had a stamp and it was required to pay a tax.
Colonist saw this as a conspiracy against them.


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Colonists protested the stamp act was a conspiracy.
In November they claimed threatened their liberty, parliament had no rights to tax them. The Parliament was taxing everywhere in the empire, but the Parliament argument didn't convince the colonists. Colonists discovered that the parliament was taking away the right to tax themselves, so only colonists pay the taxes; that's Taxation Without Representation.
The colonist wanted to pay taxes, but to help themselves, they wanted to decide!!

Taxation without Representation
English eagerly protected the "Stamp Act", if threatened their liberty. They argued that they had no representation, so they couldn't put so much taxes. Believed that if they accepted this, there would be even more taxes. They saw it like a threat to their liberty for being a conspiracy. Many large citied didn't elect their representatives also, so the Parliament didn't understan why they complained.

They believed Great Britain was the best government. ' British liberties included the "Do Process of Common Law" which was the law of administration of justice according to established rules. They trailed with jury, freedom press. Imposed taxes were lived to some people. Colonial government followed the British system.


British Government as a Model
It had two branches the executive and the legislative named parliament, its divided into two houses the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Each house was different for example the house of Lords was an inherited seat, and the house of commons were elected.
*All colonies had two house legislature except for Pennsylvania.
*Each governor was appointed, represented and served the king.
*Only Rhode Island elected their own governor.
Pennsylvania entire assembly was elected by colonists, they didn't elect representation in the parliament.
The British system was far from democratic, it seemed foolish and dangerous.
The prime minister of England, Lord North, could not agree with the idea that all people should be treated equal.

Difference in Colonial Government
The colonial government also had differences!
It differ from the British, because colonial government had a collection of law and rules, agreements like the Mayflower Compact and others.
2/3 of colonial property owners could vote in England just 1/4.
In 1760- Political protest in Great Britain and Europe allowed colonial to increase their power.
The assemblies were kind of like this:
-The leaders were wealthy planters or merchants that were related by blood or married
-They wanted tax
-They wanted to increase the payments so they could pay the government