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Relations between british and american colonies
What changed in the british empire to cause american revolution
Relations between british and american colonies
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However, the British Government was in serious debt at the time of its extreme taxing of the colonists. National debt doubled from £75 million in 1754 to £133 million in 1763, as money to finance the war was borrowed heavily from British and Dutch bankers. (website about taxes) Because of this enormous debt, the British needed to make up for it by setting new taxes into affect. It is arguable that the debt was in part a burden of the colonists ' as the war ended to their advantage, and was undertaken upon their account. It is also debatable whether or not the colonies were obligated to help out their mother country in this way.
However, maybe there was an alternative way for the British to repay their debts other than taxing the American Colonists. The British did try ways to get out of their debt other than taxing the American Colonists, such as taxing the homeland with the Cider Tax, however, that attempt failed and many people wanted to remove the tax. The failure of the Cider tax led to Britain taxing the American Colonists, but maybe continuing to tax the homeland would be a better solution rather than taxing the American Colonists. The article “The History of British Taxation in the American Colonies” states “It appeared to the British government that a few new taxes to pay for their garrison should be easily absorbed. Indeed, they had to be absorbed, because there simply didn’t seem to be any other way of paying for the army.
England had never directly taxed the colonies before because it was against British law since the American colonies were not represented
They where taxed from anything from food to something as simple as a newspaper when the stamp act was put in place. Britain's taxes on the colonies where also unfair because it violated
The American Revolution did not arise instantly. There were many factors that laid the foundation of the revolution, one being high taxation. In approach to the revolution the colonists developed a sense of identity and unity as Americans. Anger and frustration pointed towards the British built up and eventually exploded into a war. By the eve of the revolution many, but not all colonists set their differences aside to achieve one goal, to overcome the tyrannical British become truly independent.
The relationship between Britain and its American colonies was civil at first but began to strain in the mid-1700’s. In the beginning, Britain ruled colonies with little involvement because they were busy dealing with the French and Indian War among other things. As a result of this, the colonies were typically left in charge of themselves with little interference from British authorities. After years of being left alone, the colonists had developed a feeling of freedom and independence. When the war ended there was a significant change in the relations between England and the colonies.
The British government was not looking for the best of the people. They were only thinking about what they wanted; the government was not interested in what the people wanted so they decided to make decisions on their own, which resulted in changes that form the United States today. Because of this, they were justified in rebelling and declaring independence. One reason why the colonists decided to rebel and declare independence was because of taxation.
The French and Indian War left England with a debt of £130,000,000. To help pay off the debt Britain set up taxes, to collect money, on frequently used products by the colonists. The Molasses Act put a six pence tax on every gallon of molasses. The colonists thought this was a lot of money to pay so they did everything to avoid it. This act was not really enforced and the colonists did not really obey this act.
Before the American Revolution, the colonists still considered themselves to be English and followed British rule. However, the American revolution allowed them to separate themselves from British rule and form their own separate power. This separate power unified the colonists who now shared the same political, religious, cultural, racial, historical, linguistic, and ideological views which were different from their views under British rule. They were beginning to pave the way to becoming "Americans" rather than English.
They also claimed that the colonists were not paying their fair share of the costs associated with the British Empire and that the taxes were necessary to maintain the economic stability of the
“The history of present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations [unlawful seizures], all having in direct object the establishments of an absolute Tyranny over these States. ”(Document E). The British taxed just about anything they could; like tea, paper, legal documents, and stamps “Committees are appointed into the characters and conduct of every tradesman, to prevent them selling tea or buying British manufactures. ”(Document I) The British were taxing the American colonists to pay what Britain lost in the French and Indian war.
This is not to say the colonies did not levy taxes. The colonists were angry because the taxes from Britain were administered without their consent. The Declaration of Independence claims “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.” The colonists viewed actions such as taxation without representation to be tyrannical. The forced taxation infringed upon the colonist’s right to property.
The early Americans were pushed to seek liberty through a revolution because of the constant mistreatment caused by the British, unfair taxation and lack of governmental representation. As the population of the thirteen British colonies in America grew, colonial settlements expanded westward. This expansion caused many conflicts between the British colonists, other European colonists and Native Americans. After the French and Indian war, the British king along with Parliament had thought it best to tighten their control on their colonies in America. Once Britain control became more prevalent in America, so did the desire for revolution.
The American Revolution occurred between 1765 and 1783. Colonists in the thirteen american colonies had disagreements with the british monarchy and aristocracy. The American Revolution War was also known as the U.S. War of Independence. During these years Americans went through a series of battles and new laws and rules were set. During the American Revolution there were a lot of long term and short term causes, including economic factors, english political legacy, and foreign policy.
The American Revolution (1700-1790) was a historical event in time, where the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America, gained independence from the British Empire. Many historians would agree that the Revolution was caused by events and the growing differences between the colonists and England. The cause of the American Revolution could be summarized in the saying ‘liberty vs. tyranny’. The American Revolution was a struggle by liberty-loving Americans to free themselves from a dictatorial British rule. In this period, the Colonies protested against the British Empire and entered into the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence.
