After they had repealed (taken away) the Stamp Act, the British instead imposed the Townshend Acts in 1767, which placed taxes on goods that America imported, such as tea, glass, paint and lead. Tensions and protests continued and in 1770 a Boston mob, protesting at the Townshend Acts, confronted a group of British soldiers. The soldiers opened fi re and fi ve people were killed in the Boston Massacre. Exaggerated accounts soon spread, claiming the soldiers used extreme violence against the citizens. This led to even more anger among Americans.
DID YOU KNOW?
The soldiers were defended in court by future US President John Adams. He was able to get all of them acquitted of murder.
The Boston Massacre
Go to pages 72–75 of your Sources and Skills Book to examine differing accounts of the Boston Massacre.
The Boston Tea Party
After the Boston Massacre, the British withdrew all the Townshend Acts and other taxes – except a small tax on tea imports, to show they had the right to tax the colonies. However, in 1773 they passed the Tea Act, which exempted the East India Company from paying the tea tax. In December 1773, a group from the Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans and dumped 342 crates of East India Company tea into Boston Harbour, an event later known as the Boston Tea Party.
In this
topic, you will learn about:
The Boston Massacre The Boston Tea Party The Continental Congress
