The British Parliament passed some laws that tightened their rule and made the lives of the colonists tough. Some of the acts included the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Townshend Act and Quartering Act among many others. The British enforced these acts only to benefit themselves without considering the effects Acts would have on their colonists. For that reason, the colonists had to rebel and that led to resentment between the British and the Americans and also within the American colonies themselves. These British Acts and amendments also contributed to the American Revolution. The Acts contributed negatively to the economy of the 13 American colonies, but it is evident that the political friction caused by the Acts was far much worse than the negative economic impacts on the colonies.
In 1791, there was ratification of the amendments made in the constitution. These first ten amendments were called the Bills Of Rights and some of them could be alluded to the Acts that were made by the British. A good example is the Quartering Act that passed in 1765. It stated that soldiers would be housed in American barracks and public houses. Should the soldiers outnumber the housing available, then they would be accommodated in inns, alehouses, houses of wine sellers and so on and if they still outnumbered these places of housing, then they would be housed in barns and uninhabited houses ("Timeline Of British Acts On America"). It also stated that the colonial authorities were supposed to shoulder the responsibilities of paying for the expenses of the troops, including the housing fees and feeding expenditures of the troops.
After the passage of these Acts, when 1500 troops arrived in New York City, the colonists refused to comply with this law and hence the troops had to quarter in their ships. In addition, the colonists did not find this law's fair since the troops would quarter in their premises, with or without their consent. This act significantly influenced the introduction of the third amendment since it guards against forced quartering of soldiers in an individual premises. It stated that, ‘No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law ("The Bill Of Rights: The First Ten Amendments"). This amendment was made to improve the situation of various owners in that they would be having consent as to who is quartered in their house and all in all it should be under the prescribed laws.
The Townshend Act was passed under Charles Townshend in 1767; he was a great supporter of colonial taxation. Due to the failure of the Stamp Act, the British had to show that they had the right to tax other colonies, and hence they passed the Townshend Acts. The passage of this Act was a smart way applied by the British in order to amass more taxes from the American colonies, since they changed their tax plan and decided to pay the salaries of colonial governors and judges using the revenue collected. It mainly involved tax imposed on about 72 products including wine, fruits, paper and many others, and the British maintained the monopoly so that the only supplier would be the British ("Timeline of British Acts on America"). The colonists were first okay with the idea, but later detested due to the way it was impacting them. Some merchants resorted to smuggling goods into the colonies since the taxes imposed on most of the products were very high.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. ("The Bill Of Rights: The First Ten Amendments")
In 1764, the Sugar Act was passed; it was an attempt to raise revenue, and at the same time to curb the smuggling of molasses and sugar in the colonies ("Timeline of British Acts on America"). The Act was not a negative one because it resulted in a decrease in prices of the products involved; on the other hand, it still was unfair since it presented the British as a monopoly. The Act resulted in violation of the law by bribery. This Act sowed the seeds of resentment and dissension and ultimately led to the revolution.
The colonists later resented the Sugar Act due to its effects, especially on the economy and specifically affecting the settlers dealing in sugar, molasses and rum. Royal inspectors and naval patrols were also used to search the colonial warehouses and even private residences in case of any smuggled sugar and molasses, which further angered the colonists. As if that was not enough, the British went ahead to offer prices to the neighbors and friends, who reported their fellow friends involved in smuggling. If a smuggler was found guilty, then they would be just be arrested and detained. The judge who found a smuggler guilty, would then be given a large reward. This was unfair since the judges did not really want to provide justice to the individual, and instead they were looking towards getting the price. The Act resulted in unfair judgments since smugglers were denied a fair trial hence this system was a very unfair one.
The Sugar Act is strongly alluded to the Fifth Amendment that advocates for fair trial and guards against being charged twice for the same offence as was happening during the time of enforcing of the Sugar Act. It states that:
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. ("The Bill Of Rights: The First Ten Amendments")
In conclusion, all the British Acts and amendments have in one way or another led to the first ten amendments. It is a vital entity because these acts were unfair to the citizens and they had to be changed for the betterment of the lives of the citizens.
Works Cited
"The Bill Of Rights: The First Ten Amendments." Sparkcharts.sparknotes.com. N.p., 2016. Web.
31 Mar. 2016.
"Timeline Of British Acts On America." Stamp-act-history.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
