The Townshend Acts

Date: 

Issued by Egnlish Parliament Chanceler: Charles Townsend, in 1767, and repealed (except for the tax on tea) in 1770.

 

Reasons for Passing the Acts:

Economical- Britian hoped it would provide money ofor the imperial expences in the colonies

Power- English Parliament was attempting to display its historic right of authoirty over the colonies

Ideological- It was a clear distinction between the internal, and external (imports from over seas) taxation for the colonists

 

Provisions: What Did the Policy Do?

It was four acts, which put strict provisions on the collectionof revenue duties, and specifically imposed tax on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea, which was imported into the colonies

1. The Suspending Act: New York Assembly could no longer do any more buisnes, until they followed the finanical requirements of the 1765 Quartering Acts

2. Townsend Duties: Direct Duties, which were focused on not only regulating trade, but also at putting money into the British Treasury.

3. Third Act: Strict and unjustified customs, collections in the colonies. Officers, searchers, spies, coast guard vessels, and search warrants were all utilized. 

4. Fourth Act: Got rid of commecial taxes on tea, which allowed it to enter the colonies for free

 

The Colonists Responce

A Circular letter was written, and resulted in Non-Importation Agreements, which reduced what was imported from Britian in half. In general, colonists everywhere resisted the acts verbally, with physical violance, by deliberatly not paying duties, and by being hostile to British enforcement officers.

 

How Did the Tonwshend Acts Contribute to the Conflicts Between the British and the Colonists?

The responce of the colonists resulted in the act being repealed, an interestingly enough the Boston Massecure occured on the same day. Then, there was a

time of peace before the American Revolution.

 

Work Cited:

 

Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2004. Print.

 

Rossiter, Clinton. "The Political Thought of the American Revolution."Goodreads. Harcourt, Brace, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.

 

Townshend Acts." http://www.britannica.com/. N.p., 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. 
     <http://www.britannica.com/event/Townshend-Acts>. 

 

Townshend Acts." http://www.history.com/. N.p., 2015. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. 
     <http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/townshend-acts>.