-More taxes for the colonies: the Townshend Acts
-The colonial response
-Leaders on both sides
-Troops in Boston
-The Boston Massacre

[SLIDE 1]

The Stamp Act had barely been repealed when a new tactic appeared for taxing the colonies. Charles Townshend had been a member of the Board of Trade, a British government department in charge of trade, where he saw the potential for expanding British control and taxation over the colonies. He later became Chancellor of the Exchequer in charge of the national Treasury. He proposed testing the waters of colonial patience by expanding external import taxes over the colonies, which colonists couldn't claim was direct taxation. Nevertheless, the new customs boards established to enforce the tax were viewed by colonists as an infringement of self-government. Equally hated was the use of the Quartering Act requiring the colonial government to pay to maintain the troops necessary to defend customs officials. Contrary to the popular notion, the idea of the Quartering Act was not to house the soldiers in colonial homes, but rather for the colonial government to provide quarters in such places as inns, ale houses, or the homes of wine sellers. The Townshend Acts were one of the main causes of the Revolutionary War. Townshend himself died shortly after proposing them.

[SLIDE 2]

Opposition to the Townshend Acts and their enforcement was well-organized and outspoken. 

[SLIDE 3]

One of the wealthiest men in the colonies, and an important politician, John Dickinson wrote twelve Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer as a protest to the Townshend Acts. In his writing, he declared it unconstitutional for Parliament to levy duties only designed to raise revenue. He also rejected the notion that the House of Commons represented the interests of every citizen in the empire. Citizens of the colonies were entitled to vote for representatives who would protect their interests, and they had no vote in electing members of the House of Commons. The so-called virtual representation of the House of Commons was not the same as actual representation. Dickinson's letters were widely reprinted in numerous newspapers throughout the colonies and were among the most influential writings leading up to the Revolutionary War. He would go on to be a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses, where he would write a number of important documents.

[SLIDE 4]

Samuel Adams you'll recall was a founder of the Sons of Liberty. Now he organized the popular rebellion against the Townshend Acts. It came in the form of a boycott of British goods. Local artisans were glad to see British goods boycotted, but the high-level merchants who had opposed the stamp act now dragged their feet because they stood to lose money over a boycott of imports. 

[SLIDE 5]

Jonathan Sewell is an example of how divided the colonies were becoming over political issues. In his associations, Sewell was surrounded by people who would in the future be considered founding fathers of the nation. Sewell was a close friend of John Adams, who would later become the second president of the United States. His soon-to-be brother-in-law was John Hancock. Yet Sewell owed his government position to the Crown and was a strong loyalist. As the Crown-appointed attorney general of Massachusetts, it was Sewell's duty to defend the British government against colonial agitation. He argued in newspaper articles that the British government was well-intentioned and that colonial opposition was motivated by greed. He would be the last British-appointed attorney general of Massachusetts.

[SLIDE 6]

The Massachusetts colonial assembly defied the Crown's governor, Francis Bernard, by issuing a Circular Letter sent throughout the colonies to encourage unity. The movement gathered momentum: "Enforcers” patrol Boston's streets to strong-arm citizens into conformity with the boycott, intimidating anyone who isn't in compliance. Customs agents were threatened and beaten. Leading Boston merchant and smuggler John Hancock became a local hero for defying the trade restrictions. When Hancock's boat, the Liberty, was seized the situation became even more ugly. In response to the governor's urgent request for help, the British government sent troops to Boston—one for every four citizens of Boston. John Adams warned that the presence of troops could only worsen the situation and would result in violence. As the occupation of Boston dragged into 1770, the tension reached a head.

[SLIDE 7]

When an angry crowd threatened the sentries guarding the customs house, there was not much the soldiers could do. They were under orders not to fire on civilians, so they sent for aid to help them withdraw. The reinforcements, however, were quickly surrounded. The exact circumstances are uncertain, but Captain Preston's men fired on the crowd without his order, killing five and wounding others. Possibly the first to be killed was Crispus Attucks, a sailor of mixed race, African and possibly Wampanoag. Paul Revere made an engraving of the event and called it "The Bloody Massacre in King Street.” John Adams defended the soldiers at trial to make sure there would be no pretext for British retaliation. Most of the soldiers were acquitted; two were found guilty of manslaughter but got off with only a branding of their thumbs. Captain Preston wrote about the events: "None of them was a hero. The victims were troublemakers who got more than they deserved. The soldiers were professionals…who shouldn't have panicked. The whole thing shouldn't have happened.”

[SLIDE 8]

Frederick, Lord North, was prime minister of England from 1770–1782, throughout most of the Revolution. He had only recently assumed the post but realized that the situation in the colonies couldn't continue as it was, so he took steps to ameliorate it. Repeal of the Townshend Act along with expiration of the Quartering Act, de-escalated the immediate tensions, but the clock could not be turned back.