What was quartering act 1765

Many colonies had supplied the troops with provisions during wartime, but this issue was now being debated during peacetime. The Province of New York assembly passed an act to provide for the quartering of British regulars, which expired on January 1, The Quartering Act of went way beyond what Thomas Gage had requested. Of course, the colonists disputed the legality of this Act because it seemed to violate the Bill of Rights of , which forbid taxation without representation and the raising or keeping a standing army without the consent of Parliament.

The colonists wondered why the British troops remained in North America after the French had been defeated. The Quartering Act stated that Great Britain would house its soldiers in American barracks and public houses. Anna Dudley says:.

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British motivations for enforcing the Quartering Act were mixed. Some officials were legitimately concerned about protecting the colonies from attack and viewed this law as a logical means to do so. Also part of the calculation, however, was a desire to cut costs.

If the colonies were to be protected, why should they not pay for the soldiers? In particular, the British ministry was faced with the prospect of bringing home the French and Indian War veterans and providing them with pay and pensions. If those soldiers could be kept in service in America, the colonies would pay for them and spare a tax-weary English public from additional burdens.

During the Stamp Act unrest of and early , increasing numbers of soldiers were stationed in or near American cities. Some of those were new units brought from England; others were transferred from western posts, a move that enabled the Indians to regain the offensive on some portions of the frontier.

With an empire that stretched across the world, the British needed to quarter troops in countries all around the globe.

Though many British soldiers had stayed in the American colonies during the French and Indian War , some continued to stay in the colonies following the conflict.

Having a standing regular army in colonial cities during peacetime began to lead to resentment and anger among the colonial leaders. While in London, this force was viewed as a necessary evil to help secure the borders of the British North American empire.

In , Parliament passed an amendment to the Mutiny Act, which became known as the Quartering Act of Contrary to popular belief, this Quartering Act did not direct British soldiers to be billeted in the private homes of the colonists.

The act actually prohibited British soldiers from being quartered in private homes, but it did make the colonial legislatures responsible for paying for and providing for barracks or other accommodations to house British regulars.

British soldiers had been housed in New York and other American cities but were generally forced to stay in military barracks. In the city of Boston, the placement of British troops constantly was an issue as the city tried to keep them farther from the center of the city, while the British officers pushed to have them closer among the townsfolk.

Relationships between British soldiers and colonial civilians were often tense and occasionally boiled over into violence, especially in Boston.