Patriots resist British laws and policies Essay

After the Seven Years War, Britain’s hold on the colonies was established. The Crown then began to impose laws on the colonies to offset the losses it incurred in securing Britain’s hold. Among these laws were the Sugar Act, which hiked the non-British goods import duties, and the Currency Act, which prohibited printing of currency, were met with resistance in America. Other laws and policies governing taxation and trade were also imposed on the colonies. However, many people in the colonies did not favor the British laws. Three strategies they used to foil British control are: organized demonstrations, non-importation of British goods, and terrorizing tax collectors. The Sons of Liberty was established as a secret organization with the purpose of terrorizing those who were tasked as tax collectors under the Stamp Act. The ploy was successful since the tax collectors all quitted even before the Stamp Act was implemented. Without collectors and with protests, the colonists were successful in getting the Act repealed. The non-importation was the most successful strategy for the patriots. It worked very well for a few years. It made Britain reconsider its laws and repeal the Stamp Act. The Crown had a lot to lose with the colonies’ imports. However, it soon declared that the colonies can only trade with Great Britain and no other country. The organized protests were also successful at times but led to a disastrous event when people were killed in Boston after a skirmish with British soldier. But the event was used by radicals as a propaganda against the British colonizers. The radicals incited protests and recruited men to their cause. The public protests helped to mask the formation of an armed movement that would oppose Britain’s right to the colonies.