The highly unpopular Stamp Act, imposed on the colonies by the British Parliament, was
repealed due to stiff resistance and organized boycotts.
American colonists cheered the news, even erecting statues of King George III and other
British leaders.
Yet George III and many members of Parliament wanted the colonists to pay for damages caused
by rioting and the price of printing millions of now worthless stamps.
How did Parliament react?
One of the colonists' most effective voices of resistance was Benjamin Franklin who had
been sent to London to speak on their behalf.
Franklin stated that he no longer considered himself English, but American.
He even introduced himself in the House of Commons as "Franklin of Philadelphia".
Pressure from Franklin helped repeal the unpopular and impractical Stamp Act, but Franklin noted
in letters to friends that Parliament was far from done with attempting to impose its
will on what many in London referred to as "our subjects in America".
Parliament was indeed determined to tax the Colonies, and in 1767 it passed an ambitious
series of laws that became known as the Townshend Acts, named in honor of Charles Townshend
(an adviser of King George III).
They suspended New York's Assembly for refusing to take in British troops, and the legislature
was not allowed to assemble again until they agreed to meet the needs of the soldiers.
The laws placed taxes on glass, paper, lead, paint, and tea, and colonists were required
to pay in gold or silver.
The revenue from the taxes would pay the salaries of troops and officers that the colonists
were already providing housing and supplies for under the Quartering Act.
Another section called for writs of assistance to stop smuggling.
This gave British authorities the right to search any building or vessel for any reason.
No warrant was needed, and colonists immediately objected, stating that nothing would stop
authorities from abusing this power.
In February of 1768, Bostonian Sam Adams, leader of the Sons of Liberty, wrote a letter
arguing that these laws violated the rights of the colonists.
Adams was the driving force behind boycotting British goods as the letter was sent to other
colonial legislatures who joined in the protest.
The boycott spread throughout the colonies, and trade with Britain once again grinded
to a halt.
The Sons of Liberty also organized protests, secret societies, and Committees of Correspondence
to communicate with one another and harass British activities.
An offshoot of this group was the Daughters of Liberty who held spinning bees to create
American-made clothes that enabled colonists to avoid British imports.
Perhaps the most famous instance of British authorities enforcing the Townshend Acts came
when customs officials attempted to inspect a sloop, cleverly named Liberty, for smuggled
goods.
John Hancock, the owner of the sloop and the wealthiest man in New England, was a Bostonian
who made his fortune smuggling illegal glass, lead, paper, wine, rum, molasses, and tea.
When customs officials attempted to seize the vessel, a riot broke out.
The mob became so violent that British officials had to flee.
In response, the governor broke up the Massachusetts legislature and asked that British troops
be sent in to help restore order.
Once again, the boycotts and other forms of colonial resistance proved effective as most
of the Townshend Acts were repealed.
These laws cost Britain 170,000 pounds to attempt to enforce (they brought in a measly
295 pounds).
In an effort to make a point, George III declared that the tax on tea would remain in place.
To deal with the unruly mobs in Boston, the first British soldiers arrived in the city
in October 1768.