Quartering act (1765)The Quartering Act was passed on May 15th, 1765 and lasted almost two years before being repealed on March 24, 1767 (Boston Tea Party..). It was one of the four "Intolerable Acts" that Parliament passed in retaliation against the Boston "Tea Party" (Brinkley). "The Quartering Act was a British parliamentary provision requiring colonial authorities to provide food, drink, quarters, fuel, and transportation to British forces stationed in their towns or villages" (Britannica). "It stated that British troops in America would be housed in barracks and in public houses unless and until the number of troops overwhelmed the facilities, at which time, the troops could be housed in private commercial property, such as inns and stables, and in uninhabited homes and barns" (U.S. Constitution). Other necessities that had to be provided for the soldiers included bedding, food, cooking utensils, firewood, beer or cider, and candles (U.S.history.com).
The idea for such an act was first brought to parliament by Lieutenant General Thomas Gage, Commander in Chief of British North American Forces (Boston Tea Party..). During the French and Indian War, British military commanders in North America found it difficult to persuade colonial assembles to pay for the soldiers' housing and other necessary provisions (Boston Tea Party..). Even after the war ended, British troops were selected to stay in North America, in theory to defend the colonies, but the colonists were not happy about having to pay for a standing army during a peacetime (History Is Fun). The colonists saw the standing army as a threat, not as protection. They saw it not only as another way for Britain to tax them without representation and lower British debts from the war, but also as a potential way for Britain to enforce their new policies and taxes (History Is Fun). Thus, the Quartering Act was not only an economic issue, but a power issue, like the rest of the Intolerable Acts. Resistance to the Quartering Act was strongest in New York, which was where the largest number of British troops were quartered (U.S.History.com). In 1766, fifteen hundred British troops arrived in New York City, needing food and housing (Boston Tea Party..). The New York Provincial Assembly refused to provide housing and the funds needed to buy the provisions (History Is Fun). Parliament proceeded to suspend the Provincial Assembly until it agreed to comply with the act (History Is Fun). Although this act was the only one of the Intolerable Acts that not only applied to Massachusetts, but to other colonies, the act did not provoke widespread and violent opposition, partly because large numbers of British troops were only stationed in a few colonies, and most colonies were able to figure out a way around the act (History Is Fun). Even though the act affected most of the colonists, especially the landowners, the act was not as financially harmful as the other Intolerable Acts. More than anything, the act further excited the rebellious spirits of the colonists against the British by taking even more of the colonists' liberties away. |
Citations:
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. A Revolutionary Experience. "The Quartering Act | History of American Revolution." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-quartering-act>.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Elson, Henry William. History of the United States of America. The MacMillan Company, New York, 1904. Print. Chapter IV p. 108.
Encyclopædia Britannica. "Quartering Act". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/event/Quartering-Act>.
History Is Fun The Quartering Act of 1765 Comments. "The Quartering Act of 1765 - History Is Fun." N.p., 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.historyisfun.org/blog/quartering-act-of-1765/>.
The Quartering Act - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. "The Quartering Act - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.usconstitution.net/quarteringact.html>.
Quartering Act (1765). "Quartering Act (1765)." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h641.html>.
Pictures:
http://adamfletcherseries.com/the-quartering-act-1765/
http://www.historycentral.com/Revolt/Quatering.html
http://www.landofthebrave.info/quartering-act.htm
http://www.mikechurch.com/this-day-in-founders-history/this-day-in-founding-fathers-history-15-may/
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. A Revolutionary Experience. "The Quartering Act | History of American Revolution." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/the-quartering-act>.
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Elson, Henry William. History of the United States of America. The MacMillan Company, New York, 1904. Print. Chapter IV p. 108.
Encyclopædia Britannica. "Quartering Act". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015
<http://www.britannica.com/event/Quartering-Act>.
History Is Fun The Quartering Act of 1765 Comments. "The Quartering Act of 1765 - History Is Fun." N.p., 26 Mar. 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.historyisfun.org/blog/quartering-act-of-1765/>.
The Quartering Act - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. "The Quartering Act - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.usconstitution.net/quarteringact.html>.
Quartering Act (1765). "Quartering Act (1765)." N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2015. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h641.html>.
Pictures:
http://adamfletcherseries.com/the-quartering-act-1765/
http://www.historycentral.com/Revolt/Quatering.html
http://www.landofthebrave.info/quartering-act.htm
http://www.mikechurch.com/this-day-in-founders-history/this-day-in-founding-fathers-history-15-may/