Causes of the American

Revolution

The Proclamation of 1763

• The Proclamation of 1763 banned any further British colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains.

• Those who were already settled there were told to leave.

Colonial Response

• Colonists ignored the Proclamation and settled/traded in the Ohio River Valley.

The Navigation Acts

• First passed in 1651 later amended in 1733

• Forced colonists to use English vessels to transport goods.

• Forced Colonial ships to use British sailors

Colonial Reaction

• These acts angered some colonists because they lost money.

• This also leads to smuggling throughout the colonies.

The Sugar Act

• The Sugar Act replaced the Molasses Act and was aimed specifically at raising revenues from the colonies.

Colonial Response

• Colonists protested the act and called for a boycott on items with duties.

The Quartering Act

• The Quartering Act required colonists to supply British forces in the colonies with housing, bedding and other needs.

Colonial Response

• The Colonists defied the act.

The Stamp Act

• The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase a stamp for newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, another items.

Colonial Response

• Colonists formed the Sons of Liberty boycotted goods, and used violence to frighten tax collectors.

• Stamp Act Congress asked Parliament to repeal the act.

The Townshend Acts

• The Townshend Act placed duties on imported glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea.

• This made it easier for tax collectors to get writs of assistance.

Colonial Response

• The Colonists used boycotts, colonial legislatures circulated a letter protesting the acts, and the Sons of Liberty attacked homes of tax collectors.

The Tea Act

• The Tea Act kept in place duties on imported tea and allowed British East India Company to export directly to the colonies.

Colonial Response

• Colonists used boycotts and propaganda, held the Boston Tea Party, and destroyed tea shipments in some colonies.

The Intolerable Acts

• The Intolerable Acts:– Canceled Massachusetts’s Charter– Moved trials of colonial officials to

Britain– Allowed a new Quartering Act – Quebec Act- which gave Canada

control of the Ohio Region

Colonial Response

• Colonists called for large-scale boycotts, published propaganda, and convened the First Continental Congress.