Methods Used by the Colonists to Protest British Taxes
!!NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!
(A famous line during protests)
After the being pushed to the limits by British taxes, the Colonists used various methods to protest. The three general ways include fighting intellectually, violently, and economically.
Intellectually
Violence:
Sons of Liberty
Economically
Daughters of Liberty
Boycott British Goods
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Intellectually
- argued that the government is a social contract with citizens (the British did not have a fair "contract" with its citizens)
- advocated natural rights including life, liberty, and property (much of which the British took advantage of)
Violence:
Sons of Liberty
- Sons of Liberty formed to rebel against the British
- visited many people who were supposed sell stamps
- they would burn the houses of those who stole stamps, as well as threatening merchants to not sell British goods
- rebels tarred and feathered tax collectors homes (tar and feathering is when the colonists would strip the bodies of the victim and pour hot tar while throwing feathers)
- often the victims were paraded around town or cart
- "They would say save your money and save your country."
- Colonists (not specifically the sons of liberty) also attacked the Governor's house and threatened those who resided inside (royal officials)
- the Sons of Liberty would take fake "dummies" that resemble British generals, hung them up, and lit them on fire as if they were the real generals in order to satisfy their rage
- took place on December 16, 1773
- was against the tax policy of the British government and the East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies
- took place when a group of Massachusetts Patriots protested the monopoly on American tea importation
- they seized 342 chests of tea from 3 tea ships in a midnight raid dressed as Mohawks
- In response, Parliament passed the the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) which closed the ports of Boston until leaders paid for the tea the was used for rebellion in the Boston Tea Party (as well as other acts such as the Quartering Acts)
- As a result of the acts , a committee of correspondence was formed in which violent petitions took place.
- Eventually this led to the First Continental Congress
Economically
Daughters of Liberty
- would parade around town and preached that British cloth should be boycotted
- wanted people to raise their own sheep, which in return would make their own cloth
- often made cloth for others who were not in the condition to make their own cloth
Boycott British Goods
- (as mentioned before) Sons Of liberty would yell "Save Your Money, Save Your Country" to convince colonists
- increased non importation efforts (the boycott of British goods at ports) and signed the con consumption agreements in order to prove so
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION