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The Woolen Act (1699): This Act was designed to restrict the trading of wool and its byproducts. It stated that wool was not allowed to be exported from the colonies in the New World and Ireland, and that all imported wool had to be produced by Great Britain. There were also heavy taxes imposed on wool sales.
The Hat Act (1732): A British law that prohibited colonies from creating and exporting hats in order to encourage English hatmakers. The Hat Act halted the export of hats from the Americas, limited apprenticeship in the field and disallowed hiring of Africans (blacks) as a source of cheap labour. The allowed hatmakers in London to thrive and gain more business.
The Iron Act (1750): It was created to encourage the manufacture of pig iron and iron bars by colonists. The iron would then be sent to England tax free. The Act also forbade Americans from creating finished products from iron.
The Sugar and Molasses Acts (1733 & 1764): In 1764, Parliament passed a shorter, modified version of the Sugar Act of 1733, which was about to expire. Under the Act, merchants in the colonies had to pay a tax of sixpence per gallon on imported foreign molasses. Due to corruption, the merchants had mostly evaded the tax, and the reason it was created: to ensure that English molasses was cheaper than its competing product from the French West Indies. This hurt the British West Indies, and eventually Parliament decided to step in. They lowered the tax to three pence, but taxed more goods, such as certain wines, coffee, calico, cambric and pimiento. They also made sure the tax was strictly enforced by the Navy presence.
The Currency Act (1764): British lawmakers were very uncomfortable with the monetary system in the colonies, because there was no common standard value of the money. Inflation was common, and the system was complex. Parliament passed the Currency Act, basically taking control of the colonial currency system. The Act forbade the creation of new bills and reissue of existing money. They abolished the colonial bills, which led to a huge outcry, as the colonies already had a trade deficit with Britain, and a shortage of money would worsen the situation
The Stamp Act (1765): This was a tax all Americans had to pay whenever they used a piece of printed paper. Ship papers, legal documents, newspapers, licenses and playing cards as well all had a tax on them. The money from the taxes went towards defending the American land near the Appalachian Mountains, were ten thousand troops were stationed. This tax was extremely offensive to the American colonists because taxes had always been seen as a way to regulate trade, but now England had used taxes to generate money without the approval of the colonies. The pioneers feared similar taxes to come. Nobody believed they could take any action, but in Virginia, the House of Burgesses adapted the Stamp Act Resolves, created by Patrick Henry. The Resolves stated that Americans had the same rights as the British, and should only have to pay the taxes voted upon by their own government. Anyone defending the British on this issue very quickly became an enemy and an outcast of the colony. Four of the Resolves were eventually selected. The House of Burgesses was later shut down by the Governor of Virginia due to their decision to adapt Patrick Henry’s Resolves.
All of the proclamations issued by Parliament were met with defiance and unhappiness by the colonists, but the Currency Act, Molasses Act and Stamp Act in particular were the catalysts that led to the American Revolution. These proclamations also led to the famous saying:
The Hat Act (1732): A British law that prohibited colonies from creating and exporting hats in order to encourage English hatmakers. The Hat Act halted the export of hats from the Americas, limited apprenticeship in the field and disallowed hiring of Africans (blacks) as a source of cheap labour. The allowed hatmakers in London to thrive and gain more business.
The Iron Act (1750): It was created to encourage the manufacture of pig iron and iron bars by colonists. The iron would then be sent to England tax free. The Act also forbade Americans from creating finished products from iron.
The Sugar and Molasses Acts (1733 & 1764): In 1764, Parliament passed a shorter, modified version of the Sugar Act of 1733, which was about to expire. Under the Act, merchants in the colonies had to pay a tax of sixpence per gallon on imported foreign molasses. Due to corruption, the merchants had mostly evaded the tax, and the reason it was created: to ensure that English molasses was cheaper than its competing product from the French West Indies. This hurt the British West Indies, and eventually Parliament decided to step in. They lowered the tax to three pence, but taxed more goods, such as certain wines, coffee, calico, cambric and pimiento. They also made sure the tax was strictly enforced by the Navy presence.
The Currency Act (1764): British lawmakers were very uncomfortable with the monetary system in the colonies, because there was no common standard value of the money. Inflation was common, and the system was complex. Parliament passed the Currency Act, basically taking control of the colonial currency system. The Act forbade the creation of new bills and reissue of existing money. They abolished the colonial bills, which led to a huge outcry, as the colonies already had a trade deficit with Britain, and a shortage of money would worsen the situation
The Stamp Act (1765): This was a tax all Americans had to pay whenever they used a piece of printed paper. Ship papers, legal documents, newspapers, licenses and playing cards as well all had a tax on them. The money from the taxes went towards defending the American land near the Appalachian Mountains, were ten thousand troops were stationed. This tax was extremely offensive to the American colonists because taxes had always been seen as a way to regulate trade, but now England had used taxes to generate money without the approval of the colonies. The pioneers feared similar taxes to come. Nobody believed they could take any action, but in Virginia, the House of Burgesses adapted the Stamp Act Resolves, created by Patrick Henry. The Resolves stated that Americans had the same rights as the British, and should only have to pay the taxes voted upon by their own government. Anyone defending the British on this issue very quickly became an enemy and an outcast of the colony. Four of the Resolves were eventually selected. The House of Burgesses was later shut down by the Governor of Virginia due to their decision to adapt Patrick Henry’s Resolves.
All of the proclamations issued by Parliament were met with defiance and unhappiness by the colonists, but the Currency Act, Molasses Act and Stamp Act in particular were the catalysts that led to the American Revolution. These proclamations also led to the famous saying:
"No taxation without representation!"