Student Question

How did the British actions post the French and Indian War anger the colonists?

Quick answer:

British actions post-French and Indian War angered colonists by imposing restrictive laws and taxes. The Proclamation of 1763 barred westward expansion, while the Quartering Act forced colonists to house British troops. Tax laws like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts were seen as illegal due to lack of colonial representation in Parliament. Incidents like the Boston Massacre further fueled resentment. Harsh measures like the Intolerable Acts after the Boston Tea Party escalated tensions, leading to the Revolutionary War.

Expert Answers

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There were several things the British did that angered the colonists after the French and Indian War. Immediately after the war ended, the British passed the Proclamation of 1763. The law prevented the colonists from moving west. The colonists were upset and said they would go to the west regardless of what the law said. The British then passed the Quartering Act that required the colonists to provide housing for British troops that were enforcing this law. The colonists didn’t want to have to pay for housing soldiers who were enforcing a law the colonists didn’t like or want.

There were some tax laws the colonists opposed. The Stamp Act was passed in 1765, and the Townshend Acts were passed in 1767. These laws were designed to have the colonists pay some of the cost of running the colonies. The colonists felt these tax laws were illegal because the colonists didn’t have representatives in Parliament that could speak about or vote on these taxes. Since all British citizens have the right of having representatives in Parliament who could vote on tax laws, the colonists felt these laws shouldn’t occur because they had no representatives in Parliament.

The Boston Massacre angered the colonists. When the British soldiers killed five colonists in March 1770, the people were very upset. They didn’t like the British soldiers, and this event intensified the dislike for them.

The colonists were upset with the Intolerable Acts that were passed after the Boston Tea Party. These laws were very harsh, especially on the colonists in Massachusetts. The colonists began to form militias, indicating they expected fighting to begin soon. After the battles at Lexington and Concord, most people believed the war would eventually begin. As a result of various actions that angered the colonists, the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies deteriorated between 1763-1776, leading to the Revolutionary War.

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