Before 1763, the only British laws that truly affected the colonists were the Navigation Acts, which monitored the colony's trade so that it traded solely with England. As this law was not rigidly enforced, the colonists accepted it with little fuss. The colonies also accepted England's right to monitor trade. The change of course in 1767 was what really riled the colonists. England began to slowly tighten its imperial grip to avoid a large reaction from the colonists. Additional problems began when England passed the Writs of Assistance, which gave British officials the right to seize illegal goods, and to examine any building or ship without proof of cause (The American R

The Sugar Act of 1764 was an example of a tax that had many affects on the Colonial lifestyle. The act stated that any foreign exportation of lumber or skin had to first land in Britain. It also raised the price of imported sugar from the Indies (The American Revolution, pg.74). This act was accompanied by a strict enforcing of the former Navigation Acts due to the sudden increase of smuggling. This enhanced the tension between England and the New World. "The law also changed trials for offenders; they were held away from the place of the crime, and the judge was awarded 5% of confiscated goods, increasing the number of guilty sentences handed down (The American Revolution: War for Independence, pg. 96)." In reality, the laws were so regulated it was hard not to make an error. The Quartering Act in 1765 was a burden to all the colonists; it required certain colonies to provide food and housing to the British Troops on demand (The American Revolution, pg.102). This was viewed by many as an indirect tax, though an inexpensive one.

Merchants of the colonies began to boycott British goods, and as they constituted 45% of Britain's consumer population, this made a large impact in England (The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, pg.73). The business community appealed to parliament to repeal the stamp act or have all the merchants go bankrupt. In March of 1766, the Stamp Act was revoked, marking the first victory in the long journey to America's independence. But, it was a small one and this was not to be the end of the struggle. In its place, the Declaratory Act was placed. It was a subtly worded act, which confirmed Parliament's right to legislate over the colonies always and in all cases (A History of the American Revolution, pg.154). The Americans interpreted this in a positive way and did not rebel, viewing it as unimportant. "The British Parliament had meant it literally: the Colonists had no more excuses and had to obey all laws passed by Parliament, including taxes (A History of the American Revolution, pg.154)" The colonists wanted to forget about all the troubles from the past, and were grateful for the repeal of the Stamp Act. They believed their rebellion had made Britain realize their vitality to the empire and all the anti-act groups disbanded. As time wore on the colonists gradually began to realize that the purpose of the acts were to undermine their right to self-govern.

In 1770, a new Prime Minister, Lord North, was elected and he disbanded the Townshend Duties but kept the tax on tea (The American Revolution, pg.163). In 1770 there was a drastic change in the arguments made by the colonists. "The cry of the colonists no longer sounded no taxation without representation, but no legislation without representation (The American Revolution, pg163)". This change was a result of some 1,700 troops being sent into Boston. Mere military presence provo

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Approximate Word count = 1951
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)