The Quartering Act is the name applied to the two Acts of the British Parliament that applied to the American Colonies. The Act passed on this date in 1765 was the first of two Acts of Parliament that ordered the quartering of British soldiers. The Acts ordered localities within the colonies to provide British soldiers with any needs that they might have. These included, but were not necessarily limited to: housing, food, clothing or any other supplies that the soldier(s) thought they needed. This was often executed when a British officer would want to take a horse, or furniture that they saw and liked.
Originally intended as a response to issues that arose during the French and Indian War with soldiers not having quarters when they needed them, it quickly escalated to a high-strung source of tension between the colonies and the crown, and was part of the rallying battle cry for the Revolutionary War.
Because there had been no standing army in the colonies before the French and Indian War, General Thomas Gage found that his soldiers could not find adequate places to rest while marching, or the ability to take needed supplies while deployed. When this first Quartering Act was enacted, not only did it allow for soldiers to sleep in private houses, livery stables, inns, ale houses and so on -- but it also made the local Colonial authorities responsible for paying to feed the soldiers. When 1,500 British troops arrive in New York city in 1766, the local authorities refused to comply with the Quartering Act. The troops had to remain on their ships, instead of coming ashore. The refusal to comply created a great deal of tension in the city, and a skirmish took place in which one colonist was wounded while denying a soldier access. Retribution for failing to comply with the law came via a suspension of the Governor and legislature in writing -- but never actually carried out the suspension because the New York Assembly finally complied in 1771. The Quartering Act was circumvented in all other colonies, except Pennsylvania. There was a second, similar Act passed by Parliament on June 2nd, 1774 and lumped in with the famed "Intolerable Acts" as a reaction to the Boston Tea Party. The original Act expired March 24, 1776.
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Bruce has worked in educational technology for over 18 years and has implemented several 1:1/BYOD programs. He also has served as a classroom teacher in Computer Science, History and English classes. Bruce is the author of five books: Sands of Time, Towering Pines Volume One:Room 509, The Star of Christmas, Philadelphia Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel and The Insider's Story: A Lance Carter Detective Novel. Follow Bruce's Novel releases by subscribing to his FREE newsletter!
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