US History

U.S. History Study Guide

©2018 of 194 The colonists were furious at the breach of what had been considered traditional English liberties. In 1761, Boston merchants challenged the lawfulness of the writs before the Massachusetts Supreme Court, and argued that the writs were unjust. Although they lost the case, the merchants and colonists continued to protest the writs, believing Britain had overstepped its bounds. 5.4 The Proclamation Line In efforts to keep peace with the Native Americans, the British government established the Proclamation Line in 1763, barring colonial settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania. The Proclamation declared that colonists already settled in this region must remove themselves, negating colonists’ claims to the West and thus inhibiting colonial expansion. This upset many colonists who felt they had fought in the war and deserved to enjoy the land received and have the opportunity to settle the west. 5.5 The Sugar Act In 1764 the British passed the Sugar Act to stop smuggling of foreign sugar and to establish a British strangle hold in the American sugar market. The act also allowed British officials to seize colonial cargo with little or no legal reasons. The Sugar Act was designed to benefit England at the expense of the American colonists. A major criticism of the Sugar Act was that it aimed not to regulate the economy of the British Empire, but to raise revenue for the British government. This distinction became important as the colonists determined which actions of the British government warranted resistance. 5.6 The Stamp Act Prime Minister Grenville then pushed the Stamp Act through Parliament in 1765. This act required the colonists to buy watermarked paper for newspapers, playing cards, and legal documents such as wills and marriage licenses. People who did not comply would face juryless trials, where guilt was presumed until innocence was proven. The Stamp Act was another effort to raise money from the colonies to only benefit England. The new tax was imposed on all colonies and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, playing cards, and even dice were taxed. The colonists believed they should not have to pay Parliamentary taxes because they did not elect any members of Parliament. At this time most of these colonies had been self- governing since their existence. Achieve Page 58

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