What Problems Did Colonists Face After The Revolutionary War

After the French and Indian war, there were a lot of problems that lead to the undoing of Britain’s hold over the colonies. Among many other reasons, one big problem the colonists had with Britain after the war was the fact that they kept good relations with the Indians. This angered many colonists because of the atrocities done to them by the Indians. These relations ended up leading to many conflicts including Pontiacs Rebellion and the Paxton boys’ retaliation. The three major reasons the British Empire started to disintegrate after the war though were: The problem of paying the massive debt of the war, the peace treaty and the argument of whether to purse French possession in the Caribbean or Canada, and how to administer new lands gained

The British expected the colonies to help pay for the war debt because they felt as if the colonies did not participate and were unappreciative of all the British had done for them. The debt caused the British to try to make treasury and revenue reforms which stated that the revenue coming from the colonies was very small and inconsiderable, not even being a fourth of what was necessary for collecting it. Along with reforms the British also considered more taxation which angered many colonists. In attempt to decrease the debt the British created any reforms such as the Sugar act created in 1764, and the Stamp act in 1765. The Sugar act was created mainly for the purpose of increasing the revenue for the empire. Parliament believed the act was justified because they had defended, protected and secured the colonies during the war. The purpose of the Sugar act was to reduce the rate of tax on molasses and to ensure that this tax could be collected by a stronger military presence. It was also meant to regulate trade and was designed to stop trade between the colonies and the French, Dutch and West Indies. The act was just the beginning of the reforms that began to make the colonists concerned about the intent of the Parliament. The Stamp act was the reform that made the colonists very angry though because it was the first internal tax levied directly on them by the government. The Stamp act was a direct tax on land titles, contracts, court documents, newspapers and all other paper documents in the colonies. The colonists heavily protested this act saying that it was “unconstitutional.” When Grenville, the prime minister, announced the law and asked for feedback, every colonial legislature protested and demanded it gone. Parliament refused to accept these petitions which caused further anger toward them from the colonists. Overall, the war debt and the reforms in reaction to it, was a