Database: Quartering the soldiers

In the absence of proper military barracks, housing and feeding the British Army in America was a major issue. In 1765, a first Quartering Act imposed on the local authorities to build and maintain barracks for the troops. If necessary, troops could also be housed in buildings such as public houses, stables, barns, or uninhabited houses. A new act of 1774 allowed governors of the Crown to take action if proper solutions were not proposed by locals. Housing in private homes remained very unusual and was not included in these acts. However, all these measures were strongly resented by the population and denounced as "intolerable acts". This eventually gave rise to the 3rd Amendment, which strictly forbids housing of soldiers in private homes.