Britain wanted Grenville to enforce British rule in the colonies. In order to do this efficiently Grenville made many changes to the way laws were enforced throughout the colonies. Grenville wanted to stop smuggling into the colonies by placing British ships on American ports. Shortly after Grenville made these changes he realized that he needed a way to pay for the strong manpower he had brought into the colonies. The Quartering Act of 1765 was Grenville's response to this issue. The act stated that colonists needed to provide quarters (places for British soldiers to stay) in their homes, because the soldiers were there to help ensure Americans protection.
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On top of the Quartering Act, Grenville also implemented many new levies in the form of taxes. These taxes did not help to control the economy but instead were used as direct revenue for the British. The two most notorious tax acts were the sugar act and the currency act of 1764. The sugar act acted to minimize trade with Spain and the West Indies, and the Currency act forbid the printing of paper currency in the colonies. When put together the two acts made a harsh impact on the colonies economy and caused many people to go bankrupt. .
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Even though the colonies were already in a very tough economic situation, parliament continued to place harsh acts upon them. The stamp act which was passed by the parliament was used to help pay for the cost of British war. The colonists refused to pay these taxes because in their eyes there was no reason for them to pay for Britain's war. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, but only to make way for the Declaratory Act. This act said that the colonies were required to obey parliamentary laws and that parliament has the power to make laws as they see fit.
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In an effort to continuously assert their power in the colonies, Britain passed the Townshend Acts. This act placed a tax on many needed goods including tea and paper.