1. British Acts (Tax Laws)

2. Sugar Act: 1764
This law raised the tax on luxury items such as wine, silk and molasses.
Tax collectors were armed and searched for smuggled contraband.

3. Stamp Act: 1765
This law required colonists to pay for stamps on deeds, licenses, newspapers, contracts, pamphlets, and playing cards.
Rallied the colonies against England.

4. Quartering Act: 1765
This law required colonies to house, feed, and provide supplies to British troops.
Most troops found alternative housing near ports.

5. The Colony of New Jersey's response to the King November 1765
That his majesty’s subjects in this colony are entitled to all the inherent rights and liberties of his natural born subject s in Great Britain
That the people of this colony are not, and from their remote situation cannot be represented in the parliament of Great Britain.
Only the representatives of the people of this colony, are persons chosen by themselves, and that no taxes ever have been, or can be imposed on them but by their own legislature.

6. Stamp Act Crisis (1765)
In response to the Stamp Act the colonists did the following:
- Formed the Sons and Daughters of Liberty
- protested in the streets
- harassed tax collectors
- boycotted trade with England
- non-importation agreements
- Stamp Act Congress and Resolves
Stamp Act was repealed in 1766

7. Townshend Act: 1767
Placed a tax on imported glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea.
Tax money was used to pay for military costs.
**This violated the agreement of having “no standing army” during peacetime.

8. Tea Act: 1773
England lowered the cost of tea, so it could trade with the world, but…
They increased the tax.
This led to the Boston Tea Party

10. Intolerable Acts:1774 Punished the colonies for the Boston Tea Party.
Closed Boston’s Harbor.
Placed Boston under military control.

11. Questions
If you were living in the colonies, which tax act would be the hardest to deal with and why?
What would you do as a citizen of the colonies to “fight” back against these tax acts?

12. Homework
You are being sent from the 13 colonies to England to give a speech in front of Parliament and to King George. Your speech will try and persuade England to repeal the tax acts from the colony.
Use historical information to make your case. You can use one or all of the tax acts in your speech.
You must use at least 3 examples to support your position and explain what will happen if England does not repeal the tax acts.