American Revolution | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Introduction

The American Revolution, occurring from 1765 to 1783, was a significant political upheaval in which the colonists in the Thirteen North American Colonies rebelled against British rule, rejected the monarchy, and successfully gained their independence from Great Britain. This movement ultimately led to the founding of the United States of America. The revolution was driven by a series of social, political, and intellectual changes that transformed American society, government, and ways of thinking.

Background up to 1763

16th Century Colonization and Settlement in North America

• In the 16th century, English adventurers crossed the Atlantic to establish colonies and engage in trade in the Americas, beginning to make settlements there.
• Colonies in North America were established by France, the Netherlands, Spain, and England.
• In the 18th century, England expelled France from the eastern part of the continent and Canada. She had earlier seized New Netherlands from the Dutch and renamed it New York.

Spirit of Liberty and Settlement Motivations

• The Americas were settled by dissenters and radicals, whose descendants inherited a strong spirit of liberty.
• Most colonists left England and other European countries due to religious policies. Paupers, the unemployed, and convicts also settled in America.
• These groups had little affection for the mother country and enjoyed greater freedom in America than they could in Europe.
• In religious matters, they were tolerant, fostering loyalty among one another as they built their communities.

Population of the Colonies

• By the mid-18th century, there were 13 English colonies along the Atlantic coast of North America.
• Settlers included landless peasants, individuals seeking religious freedom, traders, profiteers, and convicts.

Colonial Development and Growing Differences

• The English institutions brought to America evolved differently due to varying social, political, and economic conditions. This divergence led to a gradual misunderstanding between the two groups.
• Infant industries emerged in areas like wool, flax, and leather.
• In the North, fishing and shipbuilding thrived.
• The South saw the rise of large plantations, similar to feudal manors, relying on slave labor imported from Africa.
• Trade between the colonists and Europe became vibrant and prosperous.

Colonial Assemblies and Self-Governance

• Some colonists sought control over financial matters, with colonies like Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Carolina gaining these powers between 1703 and 1750.
• This marked a significant step towards self-government, as assemblies asserted their authority, and committees began functioning like cabinets.
• In various assemblies, such as those in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, and North Carolina, informal committees of legislative leaders took charge of government affairs.
• Each colony had a local assembly elected by qualified voters, responsible for enacting laws on local matters and imposing taxes, although still under the rule of the mother country.
• Colonial sentiment leaned towards managing affairs independently, creating a tension between imperial control and colonial self-rule.

Increasing Tension and the Idea of Independence

• By the 18th century, colonists grew increasingly discontent with the laws imposed by the English Government.
• The desire for independence grew stronger, setting the stage for the Revolutionary War.

Political Structures in Colonies

• Coastal colonies were governed by charters from the King of Britain, allowing them a good degree of self-governance.
• Colonies such as Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia adopted a "mixed monarchy" structure similar to Great Britain.
• Each colony had an elected assembly as the lower house, a council (appointed by the crown except in Massachusetts) as the upper house, and a governor representing the King.
• All laws needed approval from the home government, but there was minimal interference.
• Proprietary colonies like Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland had elected legislatures, but the governors were appointed by the proprietors, not the crown.
• Charter colonies such as Connecticut and Rhode Island elected both legislatures and governors, and their laws did not require approval.
• In practice, the British Parliament mainly legislated on matters of imperial concern.

British Policy in America Before 1763

• The British viewed their colonies and the English colonists as being there to serve the interests of the mother country.
• To achieve this, the colonial government was placed under royal control.
• The King appointed governors and military commanders for the colonies, and constitutional matters were decided by the Privy Council.
• British principles of supremacy and mercantilism were strongly upheld in England.
• According to these principles, the colonies existed solely to serve the mother country by providing raw materials and acting as markets for finished goods.
• Mercantilism opposed self-government in the colonies and aimed to undermine the trade of other nations.
• This led to the implementation of numerous Navigation Acts in the 17th century, which restricted colonial trade in line with mercantilist theory.
• Navigation Act of 1651: Required that all goods entering England be transported in ships owned or manned by British subjects, impacting Dutch interests.
• Enumerated Commodities Act of 1660: Prohibited English colonies from exporting certain commodities like sugar, tobacco, cotton, indigo, and dyes to any country except England or English colonies. This list was expanded in 1706 and 1772.
• Staple Act of 1663: Mandated that all European exports to American colonies be brought into English ports and then reshipped after the payment of duties.
• Duty Act of 1673: Focused on enforcing earlier acts through customs collectors.
• Enforcement Act of 1696: Introduced strict measures to combat smuggling, requiring registration of all colonial ships and authorizing customs officials to search ships and warehouses.
• Molasses Act of 1763: Aimed to stop the import of French West Indian molasses into British colonies.
• Restrictions were also placed on the manufacture of certain items in the colonies, such as woolen goods and felts, which had to be imported from Britain. Laws like the Woolen Act and Felts Act caused resentment among colonists.
• The colonies were unhappy with these measures, feeling that England was prioritizing its own interests over colonial trade.
• Initially, these measures were not strictly enforced until 1758, and the colonists did not feel their impact. However, once enforcement became strict, colonists began to strongly oppose these policies.

Seven Years War and Treaty of Paris (1763, 10 February)

• The Treaty of Paris was signed between Great Britain and France, along with their respective allies, following the Seven Years War in North America, which resulted in Britain's victory over France and Spain.
• The war concluded in 1763 with the conquest of French Canada and the expulsion of France from mainland North America by British and American forces.
• Through the Treaty of Paris, French influence over northern and western America was effectively eliminated.
• France ceded all mainland North American territories, except for New Orleans, to retain its Caribbean sugar islands.
• Britain gained all territory east of the Mississippi River.
• Spain retained territory west of the Mississippi but exchanged East and West Florida for Cuba.
• The Seven Years War significantly drained England's treasury, prompting the British to increase taxes in the colonies.
• The British aimed to maintain a standing army in the colonies, impose taxes to pay pensions to retired officers, and terminate colonial claims to the trans-Appalachian west.

Impact of the Seven Years' War on the American Revolution

• The Seven Years' War set the stage for the American Revolution for the following reasons:
• The war with France left a heavy financial burden on the British. Britain wanted the colonists to help pay off the huge debts incurred in defending the colonies. To raise the necessary money, the British Government resorted to new taxes, which were greatly resented by the colonists. This led to the battle cry of "no taxation without representation."
• The Americans gained experience in fighting (and winning) during the war and felt ready to challenge their mother country, Britain.
• The war helped train several capable American officers, including William Prescott, Daniel Morgan, and George Washington. Many foreign officers who had also served in the Seven Years' War joined the American armies.
• The French, along with some Native American tribes, posed a constant threat to the colonists, who relied on Britain for protection. A French writer noted that Britain would regret conquering Canada from France, as it removed the only check on the colonies.
• After the Seven Years' War, relations between England and the colonists changed dramatically.
• The threat from France had initially justified American reliance on Britain for protection. However, once the French were defeated, the Americans no longer needed British protection from France.
• The war set the stage for a favorable "reversal of alliances."
• It created enmity between Britain and France (and its allies Spain and the Netherlands).
• As a result, France, Spain, and the Netherlands supported the Americans during the American Revolution against Britain.

1763, 7 October: Crown’s Proclamation of 1763

• In April 1763, George Granville became the Prime Minister of England and issued the Crown’s Proclamation with the aim of conciliating the Red Indians.
• Concerned about the cost of defending the colonies from Red Indians and seeking to win their favor, King George III prohibited all settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was intended to prevent encroachment by settlers on Red Indian land and to protect colonists from potential attacks by Red Indians.
• The intervention in colonial affairs upset the thirteen colonies as it halted their westward expansion. It also contradicted the colonists’ claim to the exclusive right to govern the lands to their west.

Events after 1763

1764–1766: Taxes imposed and withdrawn

Currency Act (1764)

• In 1764, Parliament enacted the Currency Act to limit the use of paper money, which British merchants viewed as a way to avoid debt payments.
• The Act forbade colonists from using paper currency to settle any debts, whether public or private. However, it did not stop colonists from issuing paper money.
• This strict monetary policy caused financial challenges in the colonies, where gold and silver were scarce.

Sugar Act (5 April 1764)

• The Sugar Act aimed to eliminate the smuggling of sugar and molasses from the French and Dutch West Indies.
• It sought to generate more revenue to support the expanded responsibilities of the British Empire after the Seven Years War.
• Essentially a revival of the ineffective Molasses Act of 1733, the Sugar Act enforced strict customs control over duties on refined sugar and molasses.
• The Act established a Vice-Admiralty Court in Nova Scotia to handle smuggling cases without a jury.
• These actions sparked widespread protests.
• In the same year, Prime Minister George Grenville suggested imposing direct taxes on the colonies to generate revenue.
• Grenville postponed action to see if the colonies could propose their own revenue-raising measures.
• Colonists objected not because the taxes were high (they were low), but because they had no representation in Parliament.
• Benjamin Franklin testified in Parliament in 1766 that Americans already contributed significantly to the defense of the Empire.
• He noted that local governments had raised, outfitted, and paid 25,000 soldiers to fight France.
• Franklin stated this number was comparable to the number sent by Britain and highlighted the millions spent from American treasuries during the French and Indian War.
• Colonists were particularly unhappy with the stricter bonding regulations for shipmasters.
• Shipmasters' cargoes were subject to seizure and confiscation by British customs commissioners.
• They could be brought under the authority of the Vice-Admiralty Court in distant Nova Scotia if they violated trade rules or failed to pay duties.
• The Sugar Act severely restricted the earlier secret trade in foreign sugar.
• It significantly impacted colonial maritime commerce.

Stamp Act (22 March 1765)

• The financial burden of the Seven Years War, Pontiac’s War, and the need for additional troops in the colonies led British Chancellor George Grenville to impose new taxes like the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act.
• The Stamp Act marked the first instance of direct taxation on the colonies by the British Parliament.
• It mandated that various official documents, newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, and even playing cards required stamped paper to show that tax had been paid.
• Unexpectedly, the colonists reacted with strong protests, effectively nullifying the Stamp Act through refusal to use the stamps, riots, stamp burning, and intimidation of stamp distributors.
• Various groups including merchants, lawyers, ministers, legislatures, and editors united in opposing the Act.
• Colonists believed they had the right to be taxed only with their own consent through representative assemblies, viewing taxation for revenue as a threat to colonial self-government.
• The Stamp Act Congress was convened in New York in October 1765 by moderate representatives from nine colonies to address “rights and grievances” and petition for the repeal of the Act.
• Due to pressure from British merchants and manufacturers affected by reduced colonial exports, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in early 1766, despite opposition from the House of Lords.
• Simultaneously, the Declaratory Act was issued, asserting Parliament’s right to tax anywhere within the empire.
• The widespread protest against the Stamp Act fostered a spirit of unity and organization among the colonies, laying the groundwork for the struggle for independence a decade later.

Virginian Resolution (30 May 1765)

• Besides the call made by Massachusetts to the delegates of the House of Representatives of the colonies, the Virginia assembly passed a set of resolutions refusing to comply with the Stamp Act.

Stamp Act Congress (7-25 October 1765)

• In October 1765, leaders in the Massachusetts colony gathered representatives from other colonies to discuss their common issues, particularly against the Stamp Act.
• Nine colonies sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress in New York City.
• Representatives from nine of the thirteen colonies declared the Stamp Act unconstitutional, arguing it was a tax imposed without their consent. They adopted the slogan “No taxation without representation.”
• Moderates led by John Dickinson drafted a “Declaration of Rights and Grievances,” stating that taxes enacted without representation violated their rights as Englishmen.
• In the declaration, the Congress asserted that it was an undeniable right of Englishmen that no tax be imposed on them without their consent, given either personally or by their representatives.
• They sent petitions to the King, House of Lords, and House of Commons in England.
• Simultaneously, they rejected the idea of being represented in Parliament, deeming it impossible due to the distance.
• They threatened to halt the import of British goods.
• Conversely, the British Parliament in Westminster viewed itself as the supreme lawmaking authority across all British possessions, entitled to levy any tax without colonial approval.

Sons of Liberty

• The Sons of Liberty was a secret group formed in Boston by Samuel Adams and John Hancock in July 1765. They were against the Stamp Act, and their influence spread to various colonial towns.
• They protested by preventing the use of stamps, forcing British stamp agents to resign, pulling down images of the king, and stopping American merchants from ordering British goods. They marched through the streets shouting “Liberty, property, and no stamps.”
• Members of the Sons of Liberty were American patriots, some of whom were hot-headed and willing to use violence and intimidation.
• This secret society aimed to protect the rights of the colonists and fight against the British government's tax abuses. They are most famous for the Boston Tea Party in 1773, which was a response to new taxes.
• In Boston, the Sons of Liberty burned records of the vice-admiralty court and looted the home of Chief Justice Thomas Hutchinson.

Quartering Act (15 May 1765)

• The Quartering Act was a British parliamentary law that required colonial authorities to provide food, drink, quarters, fuel, and transportation for British soldiers stationed in their towns or villages. This practice caused resentment, leading to the Third Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits such actions during peacetime.
• The Act aimed to shift the burden of supporting British soldiers from England to the colonies.
• It was enacted in response to the increased costs of empire defense in America following the Seven Years War and Pontiac’s War.
• Similar to the Stamp Act of the same year, the Quartering Act asserted British authority over the colonies, ignoring the fact that troop financing had been managed by representative provincial assemblies for 150 years, not by the Parliament in London.
• Colonies suspected that the standing army was intended to enforce the Stamp Act and keep the colonists under control.
• The Act was particularly disliked in New York, where many soldiers were stationed, and the strong opposition there led to the Suspending Act as part of the Townshend Acts of 1767.
• After significant unrest, the Quartering Act was allowed to expire in 1770.

Declaratory Act (March 18, 1766)

• Life in the colonies continued normally without the use of stamps, and people largely ignored the Act.
• Customs officers were issuing clearances, lawyers were conducting business, and courts were operating without the required stamps.
• In London, the Rockingham government took power in July 1765, and Parliament debated whether to repeal the stamp tax or to send troops to enforce it.
• Benjamin Franklin advocated for the repeal of the tax.
• Parliament ultimately agreed and repealed the stamp tax on February 21, 1766.
• However, they also passed the Declaratory Act in March 1766, which asserted Parliament's right to make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
• One section of the Act stated that the colonies were, and should be, subordinate to the Crown and Parliament of Great Britain.
• The colonists paid little attention to the Declaratory Act because they were indifferent to any Act as long as it was not enforced.
• The repeal of the Stamp Act, however, sparked widespread celebrations in the colonies.

1767–1773: Townshend Acts and the Tea Act

Townshend Acts (June 1767)

• The Townshend Acts were a set of laws enacted by the British government on the American colonies in 1767.
• These acts aimed to assert Britain’s historic right to govern the colonies by suspending a defiant representative assembly and enforcing strict revenue collection measures.
• The acts were named after Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer who proposed them.
• Suspending Act: This act prohibited the New York Assembly from conducting any business until it met the financial requirements of the Quartering Act (1765) for the expenses of British troops.
• Revenue Act: This act imposed direct revenue duties on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea, aimed at raising money for the British treasury, payable upon arrival in colonial ports.
• Commissioner of Customs Act: It established strict customs collection measures in the colonies, including additional officers, searchers, spies, and a Board of Customs Commissioners in Boston, financed by customs revenues.
• Indemnity Act: This act reduced duties on tea imported to England by the East India Company and provided a 25% duty refund on tea re-exported to the colonies, aiming to help the company compete with Dutch smuggled tea and encourage colonists to buy East India Company tea.
• In 1768, the Vice Admiralty Court Act was passed, establishing new courts in America to prosecute smugglers without local juries and giving Royal courts jurisdiction over customs violations and smuggling cases.

Resistance to the Townshend Acts

• The Townshend Acts were seen as a direct threat to the tradition of colonial self-government, particularly the practice of taxation through representative provincial assemblies.
• Resistance was widespread, manifesting in verbal protests, physical violence, deliberate evasion of duties, renewed non-importation agreements, and hostility towards British enforcement agents, especially in Boston.
• Colonial assemblies condemned taxation without representation.
• Colonists organized boycotts of British goods to apply economic pressure on English merchants and manufacturers.
• An agreement was made in Boston to refuse the purchase of certain English items.
• John Dickinson wrote a letter to the inhabitants of the British colonies, raising a constitutional issue and denying the right of the British Parliament to tax the colonies for revenue, declaring the Townshend duties unconstitutional.
• In February 1768, the Assembly of Massachusetts Bay issued a circular letter, prepared by Samuel Adams, condemning the Townshend Acts as an infringement of natural and constitutional rights, urging other colonies to coordinate resistance.
• The governor dissolved the assembly when it refused to rescind the letter, which was sent to all colonial assemblies for endorsement.
• Assemblies in Maryland,South Carolina,Georgia, and Virginia endorsed the circular.
• The king ordered the dissolution of these assemblies for endorsing the letter.
• Parliament responded to requests from British colonial authorities for protection and upholding the authority of the Boards of Customs Commissioners by sending the British army to Boston in October 1768, which heightened tension and contributed to the Boston Massacre.
• In January 1769, Parliament reactivated a statute allowing subjects outside the realm to face treason trials in England, with the governor of Massachusetts instructed to collect evidence of such treason, causing widespread outrage despite not being carried out.

Boston Massacre (5 March 1770)

• British troops were stationed in Boston since 1768 due to civil unrest caused by the Townshend Acts of 1767.
• A radical crowd, angry at the troops' presence and British colonial policy, began harassing soldiers guarding the customs house. The situation escalated when a soldier was hit by a snowball and fired his musket. Although there was no order to fire, the soldiers opened fire, killing five civilians. This incident became known as the Boston Massacre.
• The soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre were tried but received light punishments. This fueled increased resentment and became propaganda to sway colonial opinion against the British.
• The term "Boston Massacre" was popularized by patriot Samuel Adams and used in propaganda against the British. It was commemorated annually in Boston until 1780.

Effects of the Boston Massacre

• The Boston Massacre had a wide-ranging impact, leading to the formation of the Committee of Correspondence, which will be explained later.
• The Sons of Liberty and patriots like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere used the Boston Massacre as a strategic tool of political propaganda to stir up resentment against the Crown throughout the colonies.
• The events of the Boston Massacre were extensively publicized, contributing to the unpopularity of the British regime in America. This played a significant role in the lead-up to the American Revolution, including events like the 1773 Tea Act and the subsequent Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1774.
• The Boston Massacre was a pivotal moment leading to the Revolutionary War. It directly resulted in the Royal Governor evacuating the occupying army from Boston, setting the stage for armed rebellion across the colonies.
• Repeal of the Townshend Revenue Act (April 12, 1770):
• In 1770, with Lord North as Prime Minister, efforts were made to reconcile with the colonists.
• In response to ongoing protests, Parliament withdrew all taxes except for the tax on tea, abandoning its attempt to raise revenue.
• This action temporarily eased tensions, leading to the cessation of the boycott against British goods.
• During the subsequent two years of relative peace, two distinct perspectives emerged within the American colonies:
• Radicals and conservatives.
• Radicals were in conflict with the British, advocating for independence. Notable figures included Samuel Adams,Charles Thomson(in Pennsylvania),George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson(in Virginia).
• Conservatives, on the other hand, sought to restore amicable relations with the British. This group included professional politicians, royal officials, many merchants, and a significant portion of the rural population.
• The withdrawal of the Townshend Acts led to the near collapse of the non-importation movement. Merchants were eager to abandon this movement and resume trade.
• Only the more radical patriots, such as Samuel Adams, made efforts to sustain the movement. This ultimately resulted in the formation of the Committee of Correspondence in Boston in 1772.

Committees of Correspondence

• A Committee of Correspondence was a group of influential patriots who organized leadership and communication networks among colonists at the town and colony levels.
• Their main goals were to alert each other about harmful British actions and plans and to strategize colonial resistance and countermeasures.
• Initially, these committees were temporary but eventually became permanent fixtures in colonial America.
• The first temporary Committees of Correspondence were established by Samuel Adams, with the first one set up in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Approximately 7,000 to 8,000 patriots served on these committees at various levels, while Loyalists were excluded.
• In early 1773, Virginia, the largest colony, established a permanent Committee of Correspondence with Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson as members.
• By 1774, all colonies except Pennsylvania and North Carolina had their own committees.
• These committees became the leaders of American resistance to British actions and played a crucial role in directing the war effort at the state and local levels. When the First Continental Congress decided to boycott British products, these committees took charge of examining merchant records.

Burning of the Gaspee (10 June, 1772)

• The HMS Gaspee, a British customs ship, ran aground in Rhode Island and a Sons of Liberty group attacked and set fire to the ship.
• The British Government threatened to send the American perpetrators for trial in British government appointed a special commission to investigate but no body gave clue or evidence and so the commission proved a failure and no arrests were made.
• However, their threat to send Americans to trial in England sparked alarmed protests in the colonies who were informed of the affair via the Committees of Correspondence

Publication of Thomas Hutchinson Letters (July, 1773)

• In these letters, Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, advocated for a "great restraint of natural liberty." This stance convinced many colonists that the British planned to tighten their grip on their freedoms.
• The letters were seen as evidence of a systematic plot against American rights, leading to Hutchinson's discredit. As a result, the Assembly petitioned for his recall.
• Benjamin Franklin, the postmaster general for the colonies, admitted to leaking the letters, which ultimately cost him his job.

Tea Act of 1773: A Simplified Overview

• The Tea Act of 1773 was enacted by the British Parliament on May 10, 1773, with the aim of rescuing the British East India Company from financial troubles and broadening its monopoly over the tea trade across all British Colonies. This act allowed the company to sell surplus tea at reduced prices.
• The Townshend Acts had previously imposed new import duties on British goods such as paint, paper, lead, glass, and tea. However, due to protests from British merchants affected by the American colonists' refusal to purchase these goods, Parliament repealed all duties except for the tax on tea.
• Since the only remaining Townshend duty was the import duty on tea, American colonists continued to boycott tea.
• As a consequence of these boycotts, the East India Company found itself with vast quantities of unsold tea and on the brink of bankruptcy. By 1772, the company had 18 million pounds of unsold tea in warehouses and 1.3 million pounds in debt, prompting the need for the Tea Act.
  

Key Provisions of the Tea Act

• The Tea Act granted a tea monopoly in the American colonies to the British East India Company.
• It allowed the East India Company to sell its large tea surplus at prices lower than those charged by colonial competitors.
• The Act permitted tea to be shipped directly from China to the American colonies on East India Company ships.
• The new import tax of 3 pence was significantly lower than the previous 12 pence per pound on tea sent via Britain, making tea cheaper for American colonists than for people in Britain.
• The Tea Act aimed to enable the British to undercut the price of tea smuggled into Britain’s North American colonies through the illegal Dutch tea trade.
• The British government, led by Prime Minister Lord North, hoped to reaffirm Parliament’s right to impose direct revenue taxes on the American Colonies through the sale of cheaper tea.
• The British anticipated a favorable response to the Tea Act in America, believing that colonists would appreciate the opportunity to purchase tea at lower prices than ever before.

Effect of the Tea Act on American Colonists

• Merchants who had been legally importing tea stood to lose their businesses to the East India Company agents.
• Merchants involved in the illegal Dutch tea trade would be undermined by the Company’s lower prices and risk losing their businesses.
• The Tea Act directly affected shopkeepers who could only purchase tea from merchants chosen by the East India Company, reinforcing their monopoly.
• Only ships owned by the East India Company could transport tea, rendering American ships involved in the tea trade unnecessary.
• Favoritism played a role as consignees responsible for receiving and reselling the tea were often favored by the local governor.
• Governor Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts, a part-owner of the business contracted by the East India Company to receive tea in Boston, was disliked by Boston patriots due to his conflicts with them, especially during the Boston Massacre of 1770.

The reaction of the American colonists to the Tea Act

• The reaction of the American colonists to the Tea Act came as a shock to the British authorities. Buying the tea would mean that the colonists had accepted paying the British import tax. The American colonists had not forgotten their outrage at the Stamp Act of 1765 and the efforts made to gain the political victory in having the hated act repealed.
• Since the Colonies were not represented in Parliament, they saw the Tea Act as unconstitutional.
• Their cry of “No taxation without representation!” had not been forgotten.
• The seeds of revolution had been sewn in the minds of many of the American colonists. The Sons of Liberty, and the Daughters of Liberty, had experienced a relatively calm period since the repeal of the Stamp Act and the Boston Massacre of 1770. The Tea Act stirred up all of the old feelings of resentment towards the British.

Actions by Colonists