History of the first 13 Colonies and how they became the United States The colonization of America and the fascinating events that led colonists and patriots down the Road to Revolution
Definition of the Nonimportation Agreements
The Meaning and Definition of the Nonimportation Agreements: The Nonimportation Agreements (1765–75) were a series of commercial restrictions, boycotting British imports. The Nonimportation Agreements were adopted by American colonists to protest British laws and taxes prior to the American Revolution. Associations were organized by the Sons of Liberty and Whig merchants to boycott English goods In response to new taxes. American colonists were discouraged from purchasing British imports. The First Nonimportation Agreements
The first Nonimportation Agreements were started by the Stamp Act of 1765. The Second Nonimportation Agreements
The first Nonimportation Agreements 1767 were triggered by the the Townshend Acts imposing taxes on British imports. The Final Nonimportation Agreements
The final Nonimportation Agreements in 1774 were initiated by the Continental Congress which created the Continental Association. | | 
Nonimportation - Notice by the Sons of Liberty against the merchant William Jackson |
Nonimportation Agreements
Background facts and information: The French and Indian War (Seven years War) had left Britain with a massive war debt and the British looked for ways to reduce the war debt by imposing new taxes in the colonies. Tensions rose in the colonies due to the the demands made, and taxes, imposed by the British Parliament. There were no American Colonists in the British parliament which led to the cry of "No taxation without representation!" American politicians and patriots, led by the Sons of Liberty secret society, started to protest against the British laws and taxes. The Sons of Liberty and American merchants initiated a boycott English goods In response to the new taxes. Nonimportation Agreements and the Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were determined to enforce the Nonimportation Agreements stimulate a consciousness of colonial grievances against British rule. The actions and protests of the Sons of Liberty moved on from peaceful meetings, organising boycotts and minor covert actions to public displays of civil unrest and violence. The above intimidating notice by the Sons of Liberty against the merchant William Jackson clearly shows one of the methods they adopted in an attempt to to enforce the Nonimportation Agreements and at the same time rouse the colonists to take action. The said merchant, William Jackson, might also have been subjected to being publicly 'tarred and feathered'. The First Nonimportation Agreements
The first Nonimportation Agreements were started by the Stamp Act of 1765. To protest taxation without representation, New York merchants agreed to boycott British imports until Parliament repealed the stamp tax. They persuaded the merchants of Boston and Philadelphia to do the same. American colonists also followed suit. Under acute pressure from British exporters who lost business and were losing money, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act within a year. The Second Nonimportation Agreements
The second Nonimportation Agreements in 1767 were triggered by the the Townshend Acts which imposed taxes on British imports to America including paint, paper, lead, glass and tea. In protest against these new taxes Boston immediately resumed its embargo of British imports. New York followed in 1768 and then Philadelphia in 1769, after they had stockpiled imports. Merchants in the Southern Colonies did not join the embargo. Smuggling goods into the colonies from countries other than Britain became common practice, refer to the Gaspee Affair. British exports were once again badly impacted and pressure again forced Parliament to repealed the Townshend duties on all commodities except tea. The Final Nonimportation Agreements The final Nonimportation Agreements in 1774 were initiated by the Continental Congress which created the Continental Association. The Continental Association implemented a trade embargo with Great Britain. The Continental Congress hoped that by imposing trade and economic sanctions, Britain would be pressured to redress the grievances of the colonies and repeal the Intolerable Acts passed by the Parliament. The Association aimed to change Britain's policies towards the colonies without severing allegiance. However, British merchants opened new export markets, and the government in London resolved to crush colonial rebelliousness. The American Revolution soon followed. The Effects of the Nonimportation Agreements
The constant stream of new laws and taxes demanded by the British parliament was like a slow burning fuse to a keg of dynamite that would explode into the American Revolutionary War. The Nonimportation Agreements based on the boycott of British imports to the American colonies were the main weapon employed by the colonists in their unsuccessful attempt to win their demands from the British by peaceful means. 
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