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Why Did The British Tax The American Colonists

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Introduction In the late 1700s, the British government taxed the American colonists. Many might ask if it was a substantial decision to tax the American Colonists as a way to make money. Taxing the American Colonists led to many events that would not benefit the British. The taxation of the American Colonists was not a prudent decision on Britain’s behalf. Why did the British tax the American Colonists? Adding on to that, the British taxed the American Colonists using many acts such as the stamp act and the sugar act. The reason why Britain was in debt was due to the Seven Years’ War. Britain’s national debt nearly doubled after the Seven Years’ War, from £75 million in 1756 to £133 million in 1763. Britain, trying to find a way out of …show more content…

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. Few in Britain expected the colonists to have protection and not pay for it themselves.” This quote reveals that the British Government did not appear to have any other way of paying their debts, but perhaps they could have continued to tax the homeland instead of taxing the American

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