British Government1. Executive power = king/queen (monarchs)2. Legislative power = divided between two

houses (House of Lords and House of Commons)

A. House of Lords were inherited positionsB. House of Commons = elections but not

many from England were allowed to vote.

• Colonial politics were similar and different from British politics in many ways:• Similarities • Great Britain – two-house legislature–House of Lords–House of Commons

• American Colonies – two-house legislature–Upper House or Council–Lower House or Assembly

•Colonial politics differed from British politics in many ways.

1.Two-thirds (66%) of colonial men owned enough property to vote, compared to less than ¼ (25%) of British men.

• Differences:• King inherits executive power (Britain)• Governor is appointed (Colonies)• House of Lords is inherited titles (Britain) • Upper House or Council are appointed;

prominent colonists without inherited titles (Colonies)

• House of Commons: Elected by men who had significant amounts of property (Britain)

• Lower House or Assembly – Elected men who held property (Colonies)

• ASSIGNMENT• FOUR PARAGRAPH ESSAY:1.INTRODUCTION: IN THESE PARAGRAPHS I WILL

DISCUSS…2.IN THIS PARAGRAPH I WILL DISCUSS THE DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN BRITISH AND COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS.3.IN THIS PARAGRAPH I WILL DISCUSS THE SIMILARITIES

BETWEEN BRITISH AND COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS4.IN CONCLUSION…

New Taxes Upset Colonists• The French and Indian War

doubled Britain’s national debt;• Parliament (Britain’s Government)

needed to raise money to pay the debt and protect the colonies;• Colonists must pay more taxes

The Sugar Act• This act assigned custom officers and

created courts to collect the taxes and prosecute smugglers, those who avoided the taxes illegally. • Hoped these measures would

encourage colonists to pay the tax.

The Quartering Act

•Required the colonies to provide housing and supplies for British troops stationed in the colonies

The Stamp Act• Required colonists to pay a tax on

almost all printed materials, including newspapers, books, court documents, contracts and land deeds.• This was the first time that Britain

imposed a direct tax within the colonies.

Taxation Without Representation• Colonial leaders questioned

Parliament’s right to tax the colonies directly. • The colonists argued that the

colonies had nor representation in Parliament, so Parliament had no right to tax them.

Taxation Without Representation

• The colonists arguments puzzled members of Parliament. After all, most Britons paid taxes even though they could not vote

•Tax resistance among the colonists took 3 forms

1.Intellectual protests2.Economic boycotts3.And violent intimidation

Patriot Leaders Emerge• Those colonists who opposed the

British taxes called themselves “Patriots.”• Sons of Liberty a popular group of

patriots who opposed British taxes–Their most famous leader was

Samuel Adams

• Protests Turn Violent:• In August 1765, a mob led by the

Sons of Liberty tore down the office and damaged the house of the stamp collector• By end of the year, every stamp

collector in the colonies had quit, leaving no one to collect the taxes

•Protests use Boycotts•Nine colonies sent delegates to

a Stamp Act Congress. Members of this congress encouraged a consumer boycott of goods imported from Britain – nonimportation agreements

• Protests use Boycotts•Women played an important role

in the boycotts:–Women spin thread and weave

cloth because the colonists did not allow goods to be imported from Britain–These women were called the

“Daughters of Liberty.”

• Townshend Acts• Passed by Charles Townshend,

the chief financial officer of the British Crown.• These Acts levied, placed, new

import taxes on everyday items such as glass.

• Townshend Acts Effects:•Colonists would not pay any tax

from Parliament• In response to the Acts the

colonists revived their protests, boycotts, and street violence

• Townshend Acts Effects• The largest riots occurred in Boston • To suppress the riots, the Crown sent

4,000 troops to occupy Boston• For over a year, the presence of

British troops inflamed popular anger, especially because the poorly paid British soldiers competed with unskilled colonial workers for jobs

•Boston Massacre:•March 1770, the colonists

hurled snowballs and rocks at the British soldiers• The nervous British soldiers

fired into the crowed killing five colonists

• Effects of Boston Massacre:• Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons

of Liberty, organized a network of local committees of correspondence throughout Massachusetts• The committees provided

leadership and promoted cooperation among the colonists

• Effects of Boston Massacre•British withdrew troops

from Boston and dropped the Townshend Acts.•But to show Parliament had

power, Parliament kept the tax on tea.

• Effects of tax on tea:• Colonists continued to boycott British

tea and to drink smuggled Dutch tea.• Boston Tea Party: night of December

16, 1773, Boston Patriots dressed as Indians, boarded the three British ships that had tea and dumped it into the Boston harbor