The Sugar Act (1764)

The Quartering Act (1765)

The Tea Act (1773)

In the early 1760s, Great Britain was facing serious financial difficulties due to the many ongoing wars in Europe and elsewhere. Both the Crown and Parliament saw the North American Colonies as a viable solution to solving these financial woes, so new pressures were dreamed up and imposed upon the colonists.

One or two might not have tipped the delicate balance that was in place during the 1760s. But, with the French & Indian War drawing to a close by 1763, the U. K. needed money quickly, and they began a campaign that soon became quite onerous to those on the continent.

Cessation sentiments actually started much earlier, but these were small pockets of the typical "disgruntled" groups in all colonies. All colonies were fed up with continuing toubles with the Native Americans, who were being agitated by both the French and the Spanish, as well as by many of their own. And, all colonies continued to grumble about excessive taxation, but not much more so than at earlier times.

However, these simmerings soon began to boil over - immediately after the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This decree (click on link above) was an attempt to - once and for all - resolve the tensions with the Indians, primarily by promising to keep Anglo settlement to its current westward limits of 1763. This infuriated all colonists, but had a profound effect on North Carolina (since South Carolina wasn't affected too much, it had little impact). Many folks were already carving out settlements across the Appalachians and further west - but, now they were told - NO - in no uncertain terms, and measures were put into place to ensure that this proclamation was enforced.

Subsequent Acts - just the key ones are provided above - only added more fuel to the fire. And over the next decade, as the populace grew more and more agitated over this "nickel and diming" of their precious incomes, the rest they say "is history."