1. Tighter British Control
Chapter 6, Section 1

2. Bell Ringer
These questions focus on the issue of taxation and the relationship between Britain and the colonies.
1. Look at the images pictured (also on pages 160 and 162). How do the colonists feel about being taxed, according to these images?
2. Why might Great Britain feel justified in imposing taxes on its colonies?

3. Key Terms
King George III – the British monarch; he wanted to enforce the Proclamation and keep peace with Britain’s Native American allies
Quartering Act – a law passed by Parliament in 1765 that required the colonies to house and supply British soldiers
Revenue – income a government collects to cover expenses
Sugar Act – a law passed by Parliament in 1764 that placed a tax on sugar, molasses, and other products shipped to the colonies; also called for harsh punishment of smugglers
Tyranny – cruel or oppressive government or rule
Stamp Act – a 1765 law passed by Parliament that required all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing a tax had been paid
Patrick Henry – a member of Virginia’s House of Burgesses who called for resistance to the Stamp Act
Boycott – a refusal to buy certain goods
Sons of Liberty – a group of colonists who formed a secret society to oppose British policies at the time of the American Revolution

4. Why did the French and Indian War increase friction within the colonies and with Britain?
The end of the war brought celebration. But it did not bring peace. New conflicts soon threatened to tear the colonies apart.
Fighting with
Native
Americans
Disputes with
the British
government

5. With the French defeat in the Seven Years’ War, Britain gained vast new lands in North America.
Native Americans
saw a new threat
to their lands.
Colonists saw
endless room
for settlement.

6. Pontiac, the leader of the Ottawa nation, took action to stop settlers from pushing farther west.
Pontiac and his allies launched a bloody attack on British forts and towns. The British responded with equally brutal attacks against Native Americans.
The British defeated Pontiac in 1764, but thousands of settlers and Native Americans had been killed.

7. Hoping to avoid further wars, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763.
It forbid colonists from settling west of a line drawn along the Appalachian Mountains.

8. Frontier settlers who had already moved west were told to move back
Frontier settlers who had already moved west were told to move back. Colonists could settle only east of the line.
Colonists
Native
Americans
Colonists
Appalachian Mountains
West
East

9. The Proclamation of 1763 angered many colonists, who believed they had the right to settle wherever they wanted.
Proclamation
of 1763
The colonists largely ignored the proclamation, and Britain found it impossible to enforce. Tensions rose.

10. Colonists increasingly
Colonists had fought
and died to help
win the war.
Colonists expected Britain
to be grateful for the
their help.
Colonists were
loyal subjects; they
expected to have the
same rights as other
British citizens.
Colonists increasingly
believed their rights
were being
threatened.

11. expected the colonists to help pay expenses. They also wanted them to
The war had put
Britain in debt.
Britain continued to
spend money on
troops to protect
colonists from
Native Americans.
British leaders
expected the colonists
to help pay expenses.
They also wanted them to
contribute toward the
costs of frontier defense and colonial government.
British leaders
were concerned
about paying for
their costly
colonies.

12. To raise money, British leaders imposed a series of new laws forcing the colonists to share the financial burden.
Sugar Act
1764
Put a duty on products such as sugar, molasses, and other products
Quartering Act
1765
Required colonists to house British troops and provide them with supplies
Stamp Act
Required colonists to buy special stamps for many products and activities

13. The Colonies and Britain Grow Apart
1. How did Britain’s policy toward its American colonies change after the French and Indian War?
Britain wanted to govern its 13 original colonies in a uniform way
Parliament imposed new laws and restrictions
Colonists felt their freedom was being limited
2. Why did the Proclamation of 1763 anger many colonists?
Many colonists didn’t have land
Some colonists had bought land as an investment
3. What did many colonists choose to do about the proclamation?
Ignored it

14. British Troops and Taxes
4. What was the Quartering Act (1765)?
A cost-saving measure that required the colonies to quarter, or house, British soldiers and provide them with supplies
5. Why did Parliament seek to impose greater taxes on the colonies?
They had debt from the French and Indian War
Wanted the colonies to pay part of the war debt
Wanted the colonies to contribute to the cost of defending the frontier and for colonial government
6. Why did the colonists oppose the Sugar Act (1764)?
Colonists were not represented in Parliament
“Taxation without representation is tyranny!”

15. Britain Passes the Stamp Act (1765)
7. What was the Stamp Act?
Law requiring all legal and commercial documents to carry an official stamp showing that a tax had been paid
Included diplomas, contracts, wills, newspapers
8. How did the Stamp Act differ from previous taxes imposed on the colonies?
The Sugar Act had been a tax on imported goods (affected mainly merchants)
The Stamp Act was a tax applied within the colonies.
It fell directly on all colonists.
Stamps had to be paid for in silver
9. What objection did colonial leaders voice about the Stamp Act?
They were being taxed without their consent by a Parliament in which they had no voice.

16. The colonists were outraged, and protests quickly spread throughout the colonies.
The Virginia House of Burgesses and other colonial assemblies declared that they alone—the only places where the colonists were represented—had the right to tax the colonists.
Merchants organized boycotts against British goods.

17. The Congress sent a petition to the king and Parliament,
Of all the new laws, the Stamp Act was the most unpopular. Delegates from nine colonies formed the Stamp Act Congress to take action.
The Congress sent a petition
to the king and Parliament,
demanding the repeal
of the tax laws.

18. The Colonies Protest the Stamp Act
10. In what ways did the colonists challenge the Stamp Act?
Stamp Act Congress
Wrote a petition
Boycotts of British goods
11. Why did the colonists boycott goods?
They thought Britain would fear losing trade and repeal the law
12. Who were the Sons of Liberty?
Secret society opposed to British policies

19. Parliament did repeal the Stamp Act.
But at the same time it passed the Declaratory Act , stating that Parliament had total authority over the colonies.
King and
Parliament
Colonies

20. The Colonies Protest the Stamp Act
13. What eventually became of the Stamp Act?
Parliament repealed it in 1766
14. Why was it important for Parliament to pass the Declaratory Act?
It showed the colonists that even though they had won a repeal of the Stamp Act, Parliament was still the supreme authority