Difference between revisions of "Prohibitory Act"
(Template) |
(Information from a 1922 publication) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The '''Prohibitory Act''' was [[legislation]] by the [[England|British]] [[Parliament]] in 1776. It cut off all [[trade]] between the [[colonies]] and England, and removed the colonies from the "[[King|King's]] Protection." In doing so, in over six months before the [[Declaration of Independence]], [[George III]] and Parliament had disbanded their relations with the colonies and proclaimed England to be at war with its former colonies. Many [[American]]s believed that the king had given them no choice but to declare [[independence]]. | The '''Prohibitory Act''' was [[legislation]] by the [[England|British]] [[Parliament]] in 1776. It cut off all [[trade]] between the [[colonies]] and England, and removed the colonies from the "[[King|King's]] Protection." In doing so, in over six months before the [[Declaration of Independence]], [[George III]] and Parliament had disbanded their relations with the colonies and proclaimed England to be at war with its former colonies. Many [[American]]s believed that the king had given them no choice but to declare [[independence]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Background== | ||
| + | In October, 1775, George III in an address to Parliament had made it plain that he would be satisfied with nothing less than the complete submission of the colonists. Two months later Parliament passed the law known as the Prohibitory Act, which, supplementing the Restraining Act, prohibited all nations from trading with the American colonies and provided that all ships engaged in colonial trade were to be forfeited with their cargoes and become lawful prizes of war. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The law, being a virtual declaration of war, furnished the colonists with an excuse for throwing off all allegiance to the king. John Adams regarded this act as the straw that broke the camel's back. "It throws thirteen colonies," he said, "out of the royal protection and makes us independent in spite of our supplications and entreaties."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=lRkpAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA71 Our Republic: A Brief History of the American People]</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==References== | ||
| + | {{reflist|1}} | ||
{{American Secession and the King's Decrees}} | {{American Secession and the King's Decrees}} | ||
Revision as of 01:08, January 28, 2017
The Prohibitory Act was legislation by the British Parliament in 1776. It cut off all trade between the colonies and England, and removed the colonies from the "King's Protection." In doing so, in over six months before the Declaration of Independence, George III and Parliament had disbanded their relations with the colonies and proclaimed England to be at war with its former colonies. Many Americans believed that the king had given them no choice but to declare independence.
Background
In October, 1775, George III in an address to Parliament had made it plain that he would be satisfied with nothing less than the complete submission of the colonists. Two months later Parliament passed the law known as the Prohibitory Act, which, supplementing the Restraining Act, prohibited all nations from trading with the American colonies and provided that all ships engaged in colonial trade were to be forfeited with their cargoes and become lawful prizes of war.
The law, being a virtual declaration of war, furnished the colonists with an excuse for throwing off all allegiance to the king. John Adams regarded this act as the straw that broke the camel's back. "It throws thirteen colonies," he said, "out of the royal protection and makes us independent in spite of our supplications and entreaties."[1]
References
| |||||||||||