Representation In The American Colonies

In the period from 1756 to 1765 England was fighting the French in the Seven Years War in Europe. The English also fought the French in North America. The English won both at home and abroad, but at a high financial cost. The English government decided to make the American colonists pay for their protection against the French and help subsidise the costs of the Seven Years War. The American colonists, on the other hand, did not agree that they were vulnerable and believed they could protect themselves as they had done for the past one hundred years. So the British

The British were in debt because of its war, the king and the parliament believed that hey had the right to tax the colonies. They put several kinds of taxes to the colonies for they to help pay the debt of the war. Some

Three of these reasons include the French and Indian War and the after-effects, the Proclamation of 1763, and all of the taxes that were made during this time. According to Source 1G, “The war was expensive for the British government to fight. In order to pay for it, they issued taxes on the colonies. The colonies, however, felt that they should not be taxed unless they had representation in the British government.” These conflicting opinions led to an argument evidently.

After the French and Indian War, there was a period of change in the British colonies in North America. After receiving much support from the British during the French and Indian War, the people of the colonies began to feel oppressed by the postwar actions of the British. As the British put heavy taxes and restrictions on the colonies, the attitude of the population of these colonies began to shift. Over the next two decades, with more taxes and a larger British military presence, the colonists slowly progressed closer and closer to revolution. The people of the American colonies were justified in eventually taking up arms against the British crown after various attempts to reach a peaceful resolution of their grievances because several pieces

The colonists had set up their own legislations and believed that they should have the power that Parliament had. Their lives were different than the British and believed that they should rule themselves. But the

However, the colonists started to bite the hand that feeds them once Parliament imposed direct taxes like the Stamp Act of 1765. Colonists believed Parliament did not have the right to directly tax the colonies when the colonists had no representation in Parliament. "No Taxation Without Representation" became a slogan the colonists used to protest the taxes implemented by Parliament. Even though British cities also did not have representation in Parliament, they also were not 3,000 miles away from Parliament. How could Parliament impose taxes on the colonies when they were thousands of miles away and did not know how it felt to live there? Shaped by the Enlightenment thinkers, colonists thought that people were born with natural rights that the government could not take away, such as life, liberty, and owning property. The Stamp Act of 1765 required the colonists to pay a direct tax on the majority of printed materials, this tax threatened the colonists' liberty which spurred the colonists into various protests and only then did the British repeal the act. Furthermore, the Proclamation of 1763 forced colonists to remain east of the Appalachian Mountains, colonists felt this took away their right to property because why did they fight long and hard for the lands in the French and Indian War just to not colonize them? Why would the colonies be a part of an empire that constantly took away their

Coming out of this, the Quartering Act was developed to provide housing and shelter for the Redcoats while they were watching over the American colonists. This was a huge invasion of privacy for the American colonists because not only were they forced to provide a place for the Redcoats to sleep, but they also had to pay for the ones staying in local inns or other accommodations. As Britain expanded as a consumer society, the American colonists wanted to imitate the British taste in clothing, furniture, and housing. In June 1767, the British Parliament passed a new series of taxes because the cost to keep soldiers in North America reached just over $76 million. This act was the Declaratory Act. Along with new taxes, Parliament continued to push for stricter enforcement of trade duties. Many American colonists already pledged to avoid purchasing British goods, and instead, to make their own homemade items. By 1768, the non-importation movement had moved across all of the colonies. The colonists protested “taxation without representation” and called for colonies to coordinate their

Evidence states “To help pay for this army, Prime Minister George Grenville asked Parliament to tax the colonists. In 1764 Parliament passed the Sugar Act, which set duties on molasses and sugar imported by colonists. This was the first act passed specifically to raise money in the colonies.” This means that the colonies wanted freedom from British laws that were unsensible for them to obey. It left them poorer and they couldn’t even buy simple goods without having to pay extra. At the same time, they housed british soldiers, which meant that they took their food, space and privacy. The only people who benefitted from this was the British. The colonists deserved to be able to have their own government and make their own

Britain really just wanted the colonists to pay the taxes that they put on the colonies because British citizens were paying more than American citizens. Britain thought it was unfair. They also wanted the money from the colonies because they had a strong economy after the French and Indian War and needed help paying for it.

After 100 years of British colonization in the new world, a new sense of loyalty was developing. With merchants making riches in thirteen English colonies, wealth increased in the new world. Without taxation, salutary neglect fostered independence and self-sufficiency. However, these colonies were supposed to make the British Crown wealthy. Suddenly, the British entered a war with the French and money was drastically needed. In order to pay off the debts, the British Crown turned towards their colonies for financial support. With increased and forced taxation, these colonists refused to pay taxes. As the British continued to demand taxes, these colonists continued to refuse to pay. Suddenly, the colonists had to determine or not to remain

Many colonists were angered because of high taxes England chose to enforce on them. These taxes were a result of the British participation and victory in the French and Indian war. However, what made the colonists even more angry was the fact that they were being taxed without representation in England’s Parliament. The colonists thought that, in order to be taxed by the British, they should have representation in it. They saw it as unfair to be taxed by a government they had no say in. As Patrick Henry said in his speech made to the Virginia House of Burgesses, “We can under law be taxed only by our own representatives...The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it…” (Doc. 1). Since many colonists thought this taxation broke the law, some of them chose to protest by going to the House of Burgesses, boycotting imports, or simply not paying it in response. This response is justified; if

From 1607 to 1754, people’s views on governing themselves changed greatly. It began in 1607, with the settlement of Jamestown. They were a corporate colony, working for the Virginia Company, they were whole-heartedly British. The Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, and the Tradition of Neglect all introduced new ways for the American colonies to think of themselves as more independent. Although they still considered themselves part of the British Empire, by the end of this era they had discovered that they could make their own laws and constitutions that fit the way that their world worked as opposed to Great Britain.

From a British economic standpoint, the French and Indian War, in addition to the Seven Years War, plunged them further and further into a seemingly endless mountain of debt. Profits and taxes were insufficient to keep the country afloat: “[the] revenue…is small and inconsiderable…” (Document F). This caused Britain to heavily tax its own citizens. The British citizens saw no justice in this, as they centered on the fact that their tax money was paying for American wars and military. The military

The colonists believed they had a right to be represented in Parliament before being taxed or at least vote for the taxing officials. The phrase “no taxation without representation” began to become popular within the colonies.

After having years of benign British neglect, and after capably governing themselves, the people in the American colonies were not pleased when the British Parliament decided after the end of the successful end of the French Indian War in 1763 to become more engaged in the American colonists’ affairs. The British government wanted to protect the American colonies from future Indian and other attacks.