HST 202 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Caffeine, Intolerable Acts, First Continental Congress
Document Summary
Tax acts (mostly affecting educated, powerful, political merchant class): molasses act (1733): taxed molasses imports at $. 06 per barrel. Many officials could be paid off at first. Colonies were supposed to benefit the home country: sugar act (1764): reduced tax on sugar products to $. 03 but also increased enforcement of the act through required paperwork and legal punishments. Hard to win a court case because the burden of proof is on the defendant in the. First act that directly affected common people and not just merchants. Taxes were previously viewed as a request but not demanded. Colonists argued that they should have representation but parliament responded that their members were acting on behalf of everyone so they were indirectly represented: virginia resolves, sons of liberty, stamp act congress: Townsend revenue act (1767): taxed lead, paint, paper, and tea: sparked protests and republicanism because it was harder to fight than previous taxes and directly affected more people.
