Taxes! After the French and Indian War, the British government needed money to pay for the cost of protecting the colonists from the French and Indians. The British government approved several taxes including the Stamp and Tea Acts to help pay for the costs of the war. The colonists were expected to pay these taxes. The Stamp Act The Stamp Act was a tax placed on the American colonies by the British in 1765. It said they had to pay a tax on all sorts of printed materials such as newspapers, magazines and legal documents. It was called the Stamp Act because the colonies were supposed to buy paper from Britain. The items bought had to have an official stamp on it that showed they had paid the tax. No Representation The colonists …show more content…
This surprised the British government. The colonists even threatened tax collects forcing them to quit their jobs or to even leave the colonies. Protests spread into the streets and groups like the Sons of Liberty encouraged the colonists to boycott British products. These boycotts soon hurt British businesses in the colonies. The British government was forced to repeal the Stamp Act. Even though it was repealed, the British government still needed revenue to pay the debt of the war and would soon tax the colonists again. The Tea Act In 1773, the British government passed another tax. This time tea was taxed. The tax actually made the tea cheaper in the colonies. The colonists were still not represented in the British government and didn’t have a say on how the taxes could be done. The colonists wanted the tea returned to England, but it wasn’t and they decided to protest the unfair tax. The Boston Tea Party Was it a big, fun party with tea? Not really. Nobody was drinking the tea. It was a protest by the Sons of Liberty who dressed as Native Americans who boarded 3 tea ships and threw the ships’ tea cargo into Boston Harbor. The costumes didn’t fool anyone and the British knew it was the colonists who had destroyed the