Name
:l,&
TAKS OBJECTIVE
aauses of the Americ&n
8.4.A
Reuolutibn
concept of mercantilism and British economic policies after 1763.
Manyissues and events led up to the final decision of the colonists to rebel against British colonial rule. One
of the most imnortant causes of American lrustration rvas the British policv of mercantilism. Mercantilism
was the way that the British controlled American trade. The British blhe"ed that they had the right to control their colonies' trade in a way that would benefit England the most. According to the idea of mereantilism, England wanted to make sure that it sold more goods to other countries than it bought: they wanted to
have more exports than imports. By controlling the trade of the Arnerican colonies, the British could sell the
goods that the colonies produced to other countries. This allowed them to have more exports than imports.
Americans, on the other hand, believed that they should be able to trade anlthing they made to any country
that would buy it. The British did not agree, and after 1763, they began imposing even more restrictions on
American trade and they raised the amount of taxes that Americans had to pay Many American colonists
hated these restrictions, and they decided it u,ould be better to rebel against British control tiran to go on
accepting all of their rules.
The following chart shows horv British economic policies enraged American colonists. The American reaction to British policies grew more outraged and vioient leading up to the final decision to rebel.
BritishP:,L,gv ,
,r:
$,eiinition
'a:::,t:
Tax on sugar and other products
shipped to the colonies ; made
Sugar Act {1764}
for colonists to buv
tion without representation"
because they had no say in
wheiher they were taxed or not
All documents had to carry a
stamp saying that a tax had been
paid; everyone in the colonies
had to oav this tax
Many protests, sorne of them violent;some people formed groups
like the Sons of Libefi to protest
the tax
Taxed many goods imported into
Boycotts organized to encourage
Americans notto buy British
these products more expensive
dc)
Stamp Act (1765)
6
a
c.)
a
.c
'c
Townshend Acts {1767}
the colonies
ooods
0)
;
(g
oo
Protested act; said it was "taxa-
Tea Act (1773)
Intolerable Acts
(1
774)
Taxed tea
Boston Tea Partv
lntended to punish colonies by
closing Boston port
Formed First Continental
Cong ress
o
TAKS Olrjective 1: Review 21