From Protest to Armed Conflict

From Protest to Armed Conflict

In 1763, the French and Indian War ended. Britain had spent a great deal of money defending its North American colonies, so Parliament looked for ways to raise money. New laws placed taxes or duties on goods and printed materials in the colonies. The Stamp Act of 1765 required a fee on many newspapers, legal papers, and other printed items. Colonists protested because they elected members of their local assemblies, but they did not elect representatives to Parliament. They argued that Parliament should not tax them without their consent. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but it also declared that it had authority to make laws for the colonies.

Parliament passed the Townshend Acts in 1767. These laws placed duties on imported goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. Many colonists responded by boycotting British goods and sending petitions. In 1770, Parliament removed most of the Townshend duties but kept the duty on tea. The Tea Act of 1773 allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies. The tea could cost less, but the tea duty remained. Some colonists feared that buying the tea would mean accepting Parliament's power to tax them.

In December 1773, colonists in Boston boarded ships and threw chests of tea into the harbor. This protest became known as the Boston Tea Party. Parliament responded with laws that colonists called the Intolerable Acts. One law closed Boston's port until the tea was paid for. Other parts of the laws limited some local self-government in Massachusetts. Many colonists in other places saw these punishments as a threat to their own rights. Delegates from several colonies met at the First Continental Congress in 1774. They organized a boycott of British goods and sent a petition to the king.

The disputes did not end. British leaders learned that colonists were storing military supplies at Concord, Massachusetts. In April 1775, British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize those supplies. Riders warned people along the road. At Lexington, local militia members met the troops, and shots were fired. Fighting continued at Concord and along the road back toward Boston. The battles of Lexington and Concord became the opening armed clashes of the American Revolution. A disagreement that had begun with questions about taxes and authority had now involved protests, punishments, and military force.