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Navigations Act
This act was an English law that only allowed the American Colonist to trade with England. The idea was to keep gold and silver from being traded with foreign countries and thus continue to build the British Empire. This new act caused a lot of friction between Britain and the colonists, but the colonists still followed the laws. -
Sugar Act
The act was also known as the Revenue Act, it was established to raise funds for Britain's military. This act increased the number of imports that were taxed, however reduced taxes on things such as molasses and sugar. The Americans hated the Sugar Act and sent many angry letters to the British government regarding their anger. The British responded by repealing this act, but levied another tax in the form of the Stamp Act. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp act imposed a tax on all paper documents. This was levied of the American Colonists by Britain, this act however was repealed in 1766. The American colonist were so angered by this tax that they became more unified against the British. It helped fuel the fire for the American Revolution. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act came in response to the repeal to the Stamp Act. Although the British agreed to get rid of the Stamp Act, they wanted to remind the American colonists that they could make binding laws over them when they wanted to. The Americans were happy about this act because they felt victorious in getting the Stamp Act repealed. -
Townshend Act
The Townshend Act was used to raise money to pay the governors and judges in America so they would stay loyal to Britain. This act imposed a tax on Americans who bought lead, paper, paint, glass and tea. The British government imposed this tax in response to losing the money from the Stamp Act. The Americans were enraged once again by the English government stating that "taxation without representation" was unfair.
