How Did The Americans Take Taxes After The Revolutionary War

For starters, the British offered the colonists low to no income jobs. The people of Great Britain were mostly rich so this didn’t faze them. Also, as stated in the text, when the Stamp Act was set up in 1765, the colonists were taxed in everything from playing cards to sugar. The only thing not taxed was tea which they drank all of the time. Although the colonists were upset about the taxed goods, they felt better about tea not being involved. That all changed when the Tea Act of 1773 became a thing. The colonists could not afford their basic needs on top of the tea and that is why, they dumped the crates of tea

“No man should be subject to any tax which he has not given his own consent”, said John Adams, a young lawyer from Braintree, Massachusetts. How is this simple quote significant to the American Revolution? To start off, one reason the American Revolution happened was because the colonists kept getting taxed without consent. One of the first taxes enforced was the Stamp Act, which required colonists to pay fees for any printed documents. Afterwards, Parliament granted the British East India Company to sell directly to colonists, causing the tea to become cheaper, but still taxed. This lead to the Boston Tea Party, a protests by the colonists where they dumped 300 cases of tea into water. They wanted Parliament to know how they breached their

Huge debts were owed to Great Britain for supplying the colonists with military support and supplies. To pay the dues, there was the establishment of the Stamp Act, the taxation on domestic goods and services. A tax on domestic merchandise brought even more anger to the colonists. The Sugar Act, the Townshed Duties and the Tea Act were also all introduced with the same fundamentals: applying tax on goods whether it be directly or indirectly, domestic or international. “British commercial regulations imposed a paltry economic burden on Americans, who enjoyed a rapid economic growth and a standard of living higher than their European counterparts” (McGaughy). Each act resulted in irritated colonists. Some even retaliated by tarring and feathering certain English tax enforcers living in the colonies.

     In order to understand how the relationship between Britain and the American Colonies became so strained, we must first examine the nature of Britain’s imperial authority. Economic relations between the two entities were

There were several acts that were passed without the consideration of the colonists that would force them to pay a ridiculous amount of taxes to the British mainland. One of these acts was named the Stamp Act, which was enacted in 1765, forced the colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper that they used. This would include legal documents, license, commercial contracts and newspapers in the tax. This tax mostly effected the wealthier and influential of the colonists and would force them to unite in opposition. There were several other acts that would be passed that would force the colonists to pay undue taxes to the British, such as the Quartering Act and the Tea

They thought that there was not good enough reason for the new taxes. England on the other hand stated that they taxed the colonist more because they were nearly bankrupt after the French and Indian War. That felt someone had to help compensate and since the American colonies benefited more. They need to bear most of the cost for England’s’ protection and administration. (Pg.536). Between 1763 and 1774, the government passed a new series of laws; placing the colonies under strict restrictions and making them pay higher taxes.

All of the money that the British collected from this tax was used to pay for defending the colonies and paying off Britain’s debt (Stamp Act Powerpoint). Britain’s debt was caused by the French and Indian War, where the colonists were not allowed to have the land they had won. The colonists did not benefit at all from the taxes they paid. In the U.S. now, our taxes are used to pay for maintaining our roads, schools, libraries and other public facilities. We benefit from our taxes. The troops were supposedly there to protect the colonists, but they feared the army might be used against them (Quartering Act Powerpoint). They felt they did not need to be protected, especially since there were no British troops in the colonies before the French and Indian war. They had been unharmed without protection before, and did not understand why they needed it then.

The reasons behind the sudden transition of England and it’s American colonies from allies to enemies is still debated today. When the colonies were first created they had a somewhat dependent relationship with the British. Trade was regulated through the British homeland while the British provided structure for the developing colonies. As salutary neglect came into play, the colonies became more independent in their ways by developing their own governments and laws. After the French and Indian War, the British economy dropped due to war expenses. The passing of the Stamp Act and all the taxes to follow were an attempt to create revenue for the British. This created tension between the colonists and the British government. The British government caused rebellion by trying to tax the colonists in ways that had not previously been done and by trying to control the colonies more closely than it previously had. The colonies were justified in waging war and breaking away from the British due to the unfair tyrant, burdensome taxes, and the aggressive behavior of the British.

James Otis mentions “No part of His Majesty’s dominions can be taxed without their consent… this would seem to [contradict] the theory of the constitution” which explains that the governed must have a say in what they will be taxed on and if not, the British Parliament is par taking in illegal actions. With no representation in Parliament, American colonists who felt the taxes to be a little excessive had no other option other than civil disobedience to rebel. It is safe to to say that the colonists had every right to rebel against the British.

One of the first ways Britain attempted to gain control over the colonies was to impose tax laws. One of the main tax laws that angered the Colonies the most was the Stamp Act of 1765. The stamp act was imposed on all Americans and required them to use stamps on any newspaper, letter, paper, or legal documents that proved that they paid their taxes. The end of the war had brought post war debt and this was Britain’s way to request payments for debts that colonist had caused by buying British imports. The cost is not what actually angered the colonist, The Stamp Act for the Colonist however, was only interpreted one way; it was a direct attempt by England to raise revenue in the colonies without the consent of the colonial assemblies.

The American colonists had just finished living in a war-zone, in which the French and Indian war had just taken place, and they, after the British won the war, were still suffering under the British’ control. The Colonists were angered by the fact that they had no representation in parliament, yet they were being taxed by the British. As Patrick Henry said at the House of Burgesses, “We can under law be taxed only by our representatives. We have no representatives in the British Parliament” (Doc 1). The colonists were trying their hardest to peacefully let the British know that they didn’t agree with what they were doing, yet nothing calm or subtle seemed to be doing the trick. The colonists had a decent reason to be angered by this taxation due to them having very little to say in what goes on in their land, yet having to pay a

The king would not get any extra money from taxes that way. On top of that, the British merchants would not get any money, so the merchants were getting mad. The first tax did not get as much resistance because it was the first, and the colonists probably thought taxes would be temporary. But with the townshend acts, the colonists were a little mad. This caused the first major drop in values. For some reason when the Townshend Acts were repealed, values shot way up, then down but not quite all the way back down. Then the Sons of Liberty went down to the Boston Harbor. They were dressed like Indians and dumped all the tea into the harbor in what is called the Boston Tea Party (Doc. 4). As punishment, the coercive acts were established, closing the Boston Harbor. Without direct imports, colonists practically stopped all trade and imports lost almost all value.

One of the things they did was tax the colonists on things they didn't get to vote on in parliament. NC Pedia states, "Parliament did not have the right to take their money by imposing taxes. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry." This means that colonists didn't want to get taxed for something they didn't have a say in. They know that taxes are needed to help run the country but, they didn't get to help decide what should be taxed. Great Britain also made some unfair laws. For example, they decided to make it legal that a British soldier come and sleep in your home and you would have to feed them. So, as you can tell, the British did some pretty unfair and cruel things so, who would want to be a part of

From the end of the French and Indian War to the beginning of the American revolution, colonial resistance and commitment to republican values escalated. British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776, such as taxes and acts without representation and how the British treated the colonists, pushed these factors over the edge. Countless taxes were placed on the colonists in this time period, including the Sugar, Stamp, Tea, and Currency acts. These were placed on the colonists so that the British could pay back their debt that they acquired during the French and Indian War.

The history leading up to the American Revolution is very interesting. The aftermath of the French and Indian war played a big role in what began the colonists dissent against Great Britain. At the start of the war the colonist were glad that the redcoats were there to protect them but after the fall of Washington at Fort Necessity they started to feel disappointed towards them. After the war, Great Britain, although they won, was left with huge amounts of debt. Because of the cost to train troops and the debt the British wanted the colonist to pay their fair share. The colonists were not happy with this, although the Great Britain paid most of the debt itself. Another factor was the Quartering Act(1765). It said that the colonists were responsible for finding or