Quartering Acts facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Quartering Acts were laws passed by the British Parliament. These laws made local governments in Britain's American colonies provide housing and food for British soldiers. Each Quartering Act was an update to the Mutiny Act and had to be renewed every year.

These acts started because of problems during the French and Indian War. They quickly caused a lot of tension between the people in the Thirteen Colonies and the British government in London. These disagreements eventually helped lead to the American Revolution.

The Quartering Act of 1765
- What the 1765 Act Required
- New York's Refusal to Comply
The Quartering Act of 1774
Quartering During Wartime
Why the Quartering Acts Still Matter Today
See also

The Quartering Act of 1765

Quick facts for kids Mutiny, America Act 1765
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An act to amend and render more effectual, in his Majesty's dominions in America, an act passed in this present session of parliament, intituled, An act for punishing mutiny and desertion, and for the better payment of the army and their quarters.
Citation	5 Geo. 3. c. 33
Territorial extent	British North American Colonies
Dates
Royal assent	15 May 1765
Commencement	25 March 1765
Expired	24 March 1767
Status: Expired
Text of statute as originally enacted

General Thomas Gage, the top commander of British forces in British North America, and other officers had trouble getting colonial governments to pay for housing and feeding troops. This was especially true when soldiers were traveling. So, General Gage asked Parliament to create a law.

Most colonies had helped during the war, but they didn't want to help in peacetime. The Province of New York was a main base for the British army. New York had a law to house soldiers, but it ended in 1764. This led to the Quartering Act of 1765, which went further than Gage had asked for. Before the French and Indian War, there was no permanent army in the colonies. So, colonists wondered why one was needed after the French were defeated.

What the 1765 Act Required

This first Quartering Act became law on May 15, 1765. It said that Great Britain would house its soldiers in American barracks and public houses. If there wasn't enough space, soldiers could stay in "inns, livery stables, ale houses, victualing houses" and places selling drinks like wine or cider. If even more space was needed, they could use "uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings." Colonial governments had to pay for housing and feeding these soldiers.

New York's Refusal to Comply

In 1766, 1,500 British troops arrived in New York City. The New York Provincial Assembly refused to follow the Quartering Act. They did not provide housing for the troops, who had to stay on their ships. A small fight happened, and one colonist was hurt.

Because New York refused, Parliament tried to suspend New York's governor and legislature in 1767 and 1769. However, this was never fully carried out. The New York Assembly soon agreed to help pay for housing troops. In 1771, they finally set aside money for this. Most colonies, except Pennsylvania, found ways around this act. This act ended on March 24, 1767.

The Quartering Act of 1774

Mutiny in America Act 1774
Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for further continuing Two Acts, made in the Sixth and Ninth Years of His Majesty's Reign, for punishing Mutiny and Desertion; and for the better Payment of the Army and their Quarters, in His Majesty's Dominions in America.
Citation	14 Geo. 3. c. 6
Dates
Royal assent	9 March 1774
Expired	24 March 1776
Other legislation
Repealed by	Statute Law Revision Act 1871
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Quartering Act of 1774 was part of what the British called the Coercive Acts. In the colonies, these laws were known as the Intolerable Acts. This act applied to all colonies. It aimed to find a better way to house British troops in America.

Earlier laws had required colonies to provide housing, but colonial lawmakers often didn't cooperate. The new Quartering Act allowed a governor to house soldiers in other buildings if proper housing wasn't provided. Many people believed this act allowed troops to stay in private homes that were already occupied. However, historian David Ammerman's 1974 study showed this was a myth. The act only allowed troops to be housed in empty buildings.

...it shall and may be lawful for the governor of the province to order and direct such and so many uninhabited houses, out-houses, barns, or other buildings, as he shall think necessary to be taken...

This act expired on March 24, 1776.

Quartering During Wartime

During the French and Indian War, British officers often took over private homes in the Thirteen Colonies to house their troops. Most colonists did not like this. The British Parliament's Mutiny Acts from 1723, 1754, and 1756 actually said that regular troops should not be stationed in private homes. However, officers in North America often ignored this rule. Many colonists felt that British officers ignoring these rules went against the idea that the army should always be under civilian control.

Pennsylvania's Debate Over Quartering

Because of worries about troops staying in private homes, the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly discussed new laws. These laws would give citizens the right to choose whether soldiers could stay in their homes. The Assembly rejected several ideas before passing a bill that ignored this issue. It only focused on how soldiers would be housed in public places.

That winter, the weather was very harsh. Colonel Henry Bouquet ordered colonists to house his troops in places other than just public homes. Bouquet felt his troops could not survive the winter without better living conditions. He wrote to the governor of Pennsylvania, asking him to allow troops to be quartered in private homes.

The governor issued the order but left it blank. This meant he didn't say exactly what Bouquet could or couldn't do. The Pennsylvania Assembly was very angry when they found out. They asked for a review of how many troops could stay in one home. But the only answer they got was that the king's troops "must and will be quartered." In response, the Assembly met on a Sunday for the first time. They wrote a letter to the governor, asking why he was breaking the Mutiny Acts, which Parliament had passed.

Benjamin Franklin's Suggestion

In response to what was happening, Benjamin Franklin suggested that soldiers could be housed in public houses in the suburbs. This meant troops would stay in houses on the edge of the city, perhaps on farms, where they might have more space. Governor Denny attended this Pennsylvania meeting. He plainly said that the commander-in-chief, Lord Loudoun, had asked for troops to be quartered in Philadelphia. He said if anyone had a problem, they should talk to Loudoun.

The committee members publicly stated that they felt Denny was siding with Lord Loudoun. They believed that as governor, he should have protected their rights. In Albany, New York, the mayor had set aside money to build barracks for Loudoun's troops. But the barracks weren't built by the time the soldiers arrived. The mayor told Loudoun he knew his rights and refused to let the troops stay in Albany. When the mayor stood firm, Loudoun had his soldiers quarter themselves in private homes.

Boston's Response to Quartering

In an early August meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, the governor got the committee to pass a bill. This bill would provide money to build barracks for up to one thousand troops. The barracks were built, and the goal was to convince Loudoun to follow Parliament's rules. Everything went smoothly until two recruiting officers complained to Governor Pownall of Massachusetts. They said they were denied housing in Boston. The response was that it was illegal to house troops in private homes in Boston. The committee members suggested they stay at the new barracks at Castle William.

The timing of this meeting with Lord Loudoun was very bad. He was losing battles in northern New York while fighting the French and Indians. When he heard what happened with the committee members, he argued that the military crisis made it okay to house troops in private homes.

A bill was then brought to the governor to sign. It said troops could be housed in homes, but innkeepers could complain to a judge if too many soldiers were there. Loudoun was furious and threatened to order his troops to quarter themselves in private homes again. By the end of December, the Massachusetts legislature got Loudoun to agree to house his troops at Castle William.

On May 3, 1765, the British Parliament passed a Quartering Act for the American colonies. The act stated that troops could only be housed in barracks. If there wasn't enough space, they were to be housed in public houses and inns. If still not enough space, the governor and council were to find empty buildings. But at no time was it legal to house troops in private homes. During the American Revolutionary War, the New York Provincial Congress forced Continental Army troops to stay in private homes.

Why the Quartering Acts Still Matter Today

The Third Amendment to the United States Constitution specifically says that the military cannot house troops in private homes during peacetime without the owner's permission. This amendment came directly from the issues with the Quartering Acts.

Today, these acts and the Third Amendment are not as important as they once were. There has only been one court case about the Third Amendment in over 200 years, called Engblom v. Carey in 1982.

The Quartering Act has also been mentioned as one reason for the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment protects the right of people to keep and bear arms. People at the time did not trust permanent armies. The First Congress believed that housing troops in private homes was one of the ways people were oppressed before and during the American Revolution.