What is liberty? Liberty is freedom from external or foreign rule; independence. This is what the American colonists so desperately wanted from England. The colonists were tired of the tyranny of King George III. They grew tired of having to pay taxes to a government that they were not even represented in and actively opposed many of these taxes with either protests or by simply ignoring them. The colonists wanted to rule themselves through democracy, where they could elect their own leaders who would serve to act in the best interests of the people. They did not want to have to obey the laws of a king that was a whole ocean away. The colonies were used mainly by Britain as a way to gain additional revenue and power, essentially making …show more content…
"This way of thinking was contrary to the popular belief of virtual representation, which states that each member of Parliament represented the entire empire, not just their own district". "Nearly all Britons believed that Parliament represented the entire empire, including those in Manchester and Birmingham, who also were not represented in Parliament". This did not do much to improve the colonists way of thinking towards the British government. The main reason behind the increased taxes was the French and Indian War. The government felt that the colonies should have to share the amount of debt facing the country. In order for that to happen the government had to tax the colonies more. The Navigation Acts had already been enforced on the colonies, however the colonists ignored these laws. Essentially the colonists were "cheating" the British government out of money. That also played a role in the increase of taxes. "The Sugar Act was introduced by Prime Minister George Grenville, and it reduced taxes on molasses but it helped to end the widespread smuggling in colonies and also allowed smugglers to be judged without a jury". The Stamp was introduced to tax all materials printed within the colonies. This act was met with