Why Did The Colonist Break Away From English Rule Essay

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There is not just one reason why the colonist broke away from English rule. The English treated the colonist like they were a lesser people than the people of England. They put harsh rules and taxes on the colonist only to benefit England. Here are some more in-depth point as to why the colonist wanted to be free of English rule.
The Navigation Acts starting in 1650 were a chain of laws that puts the theory of mercantilism in the colonies. The English realized that the colonies were an abundant source of wealth and trade. These acts had a string of negative effects on the colonist. In imposing the acts the colonist had to trade with England had to be on English or colonial ships. When the colonist shipped their goods to England, the prices …show more content…

It was a worldwide war that drained Britain’s funds, and now that Britain is in debt they have to get money from somewhere. Thus, Britain’s parliament votes that Americans should have to pay for their debt since Britain protected them from the French in Canada. Americans did not see it in the same way. They saw it as Britain was getting in the war to get rich and make their empire stronger. This caused a huge debate, but it did not matter because Britain was still the ruler of America. The Americans thought this was unfair because all of parliament were from England and didn’t have an American point of view. This is where the phrase “no taxation without representation” comes from. The taxes England put on America that followed the war were as follows: The Sugar Act (passed in 1764, put taxes on sugar and molasses, thus impacting the making of rum in the colonies), the Stamp Act of 1765 (which pretty much put taxes on all papers), and the Townsend Acts (a series of laws that were passed in 1767 that put taxes on glass, lead, papers, and …show more content…

This act states that the colonist cannot got west of the Appalachian Mountains. The English passed this law to stop the settlement across the mountains in order to stop the French and colonist. This benefited the Native American but had an adverse effect on the colonist. The colonist were upset by this act because they could not grow and the people who had settled on the or passed the Appalachian mountain had to move back across the mountains to the east.
The Currency Act was passed in 1764. It regulated the amount of paper currency in the colonies. This made everything in the colonies expensive to the colonist, but it made cheap to the English.
Another reason is the Quartering Act. This Act was passed in 1765. It says that British soldiers would ‘protect’ colonist, but the colonist had to provide housing and food. The soldiers were placed in placed in towns to increase living conditions for the soldiers while decreasing cost for the English to supply goods to the soldiers. The troops did not protect the colonist and took what they wanted.
The last reason that is going to be discussed is the Intolerable Act. It was passed in 1774 and say that the Boston Harbor was closed until the colonist had to repay the East India trading company because of “the Boston Tea Party”. The Boston Tea Party was when the colonist decided to dump 46 tons (340 chest) into the Boston