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Social Studies 5: Most Intolerable: British Acts and Taxes 123 Views
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Description:
Today we're learning about the "Intolerable Acts." Things like housing British soldiers in colonial homes, closing harbors, and putting caps on "unlimited" data plans. Yugh.
Transcript
- 00:06
[Dino and Coop singing]
- 00:13
In the 1760s, the British government was broke. [Hammer smashes a piggy bank]
- 00:16
They needed an infusion of cash, and stat.
- 00:19
But then someone was like, "right well, why don't we just tax those colonies in America?"
- 00:24
And everyone else was like, "oooooh right…yeah, let's do that." [People in historical dress]
Full Transcript
- 00:27
The colonies had totally benefitted from the British Army’s victory in the expensive
- 00:31
French and Indian War.
- 00:32
Plus, England hadn’t been enforcing some taxes that were already in place, allowing [Boat arriving at a port]
- 00:36
colonists like John Hancock to easily smuggle in goods.
- 00:39
So taxing the colonists seemed totally fair.
- 00:42
Except that the colonists had no representation in Parliament, meaning they had no input in [Uncle Sam arriving at a parliament meeting]
- 00:47
laws that affected them.
- 00:48
Needless to say, the colonists were caught totally by surprise.
- 00:52
And they weren't super happy about any of it. [Uncle Sam with his fists up ready to fight]
- 00:55
So what kind of new taxes were the colonists looking at? [Coop pointing at a blackboard]
- 00:57
Well, The Stamp Tax forced colonists to use paper made in England and sealed with a revenue
- 01:02
stamp for things like legal documents and newspapers.
- 01:06
And while the Sugar Tax amount actually decreased–– [Dino pointing at a blackboard]
- 01:08
for the first time ever it was actually being enforced––boo!
- 01:12
And then came the Townshend Acts.
- 01:14
They were the brainchild of this guy.
- 01:16
Charles Townshend. [Picture of Townshend]
- 01:18
What a cleverly named act.
- 01:19
They levied taxes on lots of everyday items. [People at a restaurant]
- 01:22
To all of which the colonists said, “Uh, no thanks?” [Guy says no thanks to the bill]
- 01:26
George ended up repealing all those taxes – except the one on tea. [Taxes being crossed out on a list]
- 01:29
In truth, the taxes didn’t add up to much, but for the colonists, it was more the principle [King George shaking an empty piggy bank]
- 01:34
of the thing.
- 01:35
If George could do this to them, what else might he do?
- 01:38
Drum roll please… he could enforce The Intolerable Acts!
- 01:43
The Intolerable Acts included things like allowing British troops to be quartered in
- 01:47
private homes…
- 01:48
…and the closing of Boston Harbor, which costs the colonies a fortune.
- 01:52
George thought he’d shown the colonists who was boss…
- 01:54
… but he only really succeeded in making them angry. [Colonists throwing a painting of King George on the floor]
- 01:57
Really, really angry…
- 01:59
He also solidified America's preference for coffee. [Two women walking out of Starbucks]
- 02:02
Guess we all have post-traumatic tea tax disorder…
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