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Exploring the laws and taxes that made the American colonists angry with the King.
Imagine you worked hard to earn 10 candy bars, but then a leader you've never met—who lives thousands of miles away—takes 3 of them without even asking you. Does that feel fair?
In the mid-1700s, Great Britain won a long and expensive conflict called the French and Indian War. While Britain won the land, they lost a lot of money. To pay back their debts, King George III and the British Parliament decided the American colonists should help pay the bill. After all, the British army had protected the colonies during the war. However, the colonists had been used to making their own laws for a long time. Suddenly, the King began passing new laws and taxes—money people must pay to their government—without asking the colonists what they thought.
Quick Check
Why did the British government start taxing the American colonists?
Answer
To pay off the debts from the French and Indian War.
The Stamp Act was the first time Britain taxed the colonists directly. It required colonists to buy a special government stamp for almost every piece of paper they used. This included legal documents, newspapers, and even playing cards! If a colonist bought a newspaper for cent, they might have to pay an extra cent for the stamp. This made people very angry because paper was used every day for business and news. They felt the King was reaching directly into their pockets.
Imagine a colonial lawyer needs to buy 5 legal documents for his office. 1. Each document costs shillings. 2. The Stamp Act adds a tax of shillings per document. 3. The total cost is shillings. Without the tax, it would have only been shillings. The lawyer is paying extra shillings for stamps he doesn't want!
Quick Check
What specific items were taxed under the Stamp Act?
Answer
Paper items like newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards.
The colonists weren't just upset about the money; they were upset about the principle. In Britain, citizens had a voice in government through Parliament. But the colonists had no one to speak for them in London. They began using the famous slogan: 'No Taxation Without Representation!' This meant they believed it was illegal for a government to tax them if they didn't have a representative to vote on those taxes. To show their anger, they formed groups like the Sons of Liberty and began to boycott (refuse to buy) British goods.
Think of your school: 1. If your teacher lets the class vote on which movie to watch, you have representation. 2. If the Principal from a different school chooses a movie you hate and makes you pay to watch it without asking you, that is taxation without representation. 3. The colonists felt like the students who weren't allowed to vote.
After the Stamp Act failed because of protests, Britain tried a different approach called the Townshend Acts. Instead of taxing paper inside the colonies, they taxed imported goods—things brought in on ships from Britain. This included glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. The British thought the colonists wouldn't mind as much if the tax was collected at the docks. They were wrong! The colonists saw this as just another way to take their money without their consent. They stopped buying British tea and started making their own clothes to avoid the taxes.
A merchant brings in a crate of tea and a crate of glass. 1. The tea costs and the glass costs . 2. The Townshend Acts add a tax rate of . 3. The new cost is . If and , the merchant pays instead of . To make a profit, the merchant must raise prices for the colonists, making everyone's life more expensive.
What was the main reason the colonists were angry about the new taxes?
Which act placed a tax on imported goods like glass and tea?
The Stamp Act was the first time Britain taxed the colonists directly.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to explain to a family member what 'No Taxation Without Representation' means using the candy bar or classroom example.
Practice Activity
Draw a protest poster that a colonist might have carried to protest the Stamp Act. What symbols or words would you use to show the King you are angry?