contributed to the start of the American Revolution. The colonists had been unhappy with
previous British actions. They didnt like that the Proclamation of 1763 that prevented them from
moving west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists wanted to get this new land, and this
law prevented that from happening. The colonists also didnt like that they had to provide
housing for soldiers to enforce this unpopular law.
The colonists were also
unhappy with the new taxes created by the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts. They believed these
taxes were illegal and violated their rights as British citizens because the colonists had no
representatives in Parliament who could vote on these taxes. In Britain, the citizens have
representatives in Parliament that can vote on proposed taxes.
While the
colonists were unhappy with these British actions, there had been no death associated with the
protests of these unpopular laws. That changed with the Boston Massacre. For the first time, the
British had killed colonists during a protest. For some people, this changed the dynamics of the
dispute. There were now some people who believed independence was needed. As more actions
unfolded in the future, more and more people felt this way. With the passage of the Intolerable
Acts and the fighting that occurred at Lexington and Concord, more colonists believed
independence was needed. The desire for independence gained support as a result of the Boston
Massacre. It really gained support with actions that occurred in the years that followed the
Boston Massacre.
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