Difference Between The Colonists And England Before The Revolutionary War

799 Words4 Pages

There was lots of change going on in England around the time of the French and Indian War. Before the war, all the English people and colonists got along fine without any big problems. After the war, however, England was in debt and needed to find a way to pay it off. They immediately decided to start taxing the colonists to make more money. This is what upset the colonists, as it appeared to be taxation without representation. Nobody that lived in the colonies was able to represent them in the English Parliament. An expert in colonial affairs did represent the colonies, but had never lived in the colonies. The main difference between the colonists and English views on taxation is actual versus virtual representation. Colonists were upset …show more content…

They accomplished this by having colonies in the Americas, and establishing a trade balance that benefited them. Another way they were able to make money was by taxing many goods that were imported into America. This is what upset the colonies, because they did not agree with everything that Britain did. The Parliament kept on telling the colonists that they were being represented in the government by an expert on colonial affairs. This seemed like a good idea for Britain because they would be able to listen to the expert and pass laws that seemed reasonable to them. However, they did not know that the colonists were not going to go along with all the laws that they decided to put in action. While the colonists wanted someone to be sent over to Parliament from the colonies to represent them in government, England remained confident that they were being represented in a virtual manner. Many people that lived in the colonies, still did not want to become free from English rule. These people were known as loyalists and believed that everything Britain was doing was the right. They were fine with how they were being represented in Britain, and thought that the taxes made

Open Document