After the French and Indian War in 1763, the price of financing the colonies soared to £350,000 a year. (C&G 95) Although England was pouring a vast amount of money into colonizing America, it was receiving relatively little, despite the growing wealth of the states. The members of Parliament reasoned that since so much money was being spent for the Americans, perhaps they should help pay off the debt that had been acquired in their defense. The Americans, who had until then had quite a bit of freedom to govern themselves, were heavily opposed to taxation or government from England. While they didn't mind having England oversee their international trade and solve their various problems, England was too distant to effectively govern the constantly expanding states. Furthermore, the English Government consisted mainly of aristocrats who were only seeking to increase their personal wealth.
The British had undisputed control of the continent and had very strong thriving economies in the colonies. They also had very large war debts as a result of defending the colonies during the war. This led to the British conclusion for colonies to start paying more taxes in order to pay off these war debts and start making a profit for Britain. On the other hand, the colonies wanted things to stay the way they were. They saw the principle of foreign taxation as leading to a time when Britain would tax the colonies dry and make life there miserable. This led to the fight that eventually led to revolution and independence.
Since the government could not tax, they were in major financial trouble. They began to print continentals which were not backed by any commodities so they were worthless. The rest of the world meanwhile was waiting to see how Britain would react; so they were afraid to get too friendly with the colonists. The colonists though, knew that it was time to build up trade and trust with other countries. Eventually, their financial plans fell through, so France and the Netherlands made loans and were able to help keep the United States afloat.
“When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; when the government fear the people, there is liberty.” The British government was feared by the American colonists in the seventeen hundreds, so that means there was tyranny. The American colonists were justified in fighting a war to break away from Britain because they were not being represented by Britain, and King George was abusing his power on them.
The massive debt of the French and Indian war was a very big struggle for Great Britain and the massive debt will start the revolutionary war. The massive debt happened right after the French and Indian war. Great Britain was 122 million pounds in debt. That is why they tried to tax the colonies. The taxes were called acts. This payed off part of the debt but the taxing didn't come to a pleasant end for Great Britain.
The US already had plenty of debt from the French and Indian War to deal with, so the possibility of additional debt from the revolution would increase the national debt even more. However, considering the fact that he was an Anglican church minister, his point of view was obviously biased toward the British. Despite the slight opposition to the revolution in their own territory, the colonists were not discouraged and still pushed
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.
Due to the war in the America’s during 1754-1763, known as the 7 Years War. The British technically won the war, nevertheless also fell into debt because of the war. The British king and parliament felt that Britain must assert control back over the colonies. In attempting to assert control, the British implicated several acts which the colonist felt their freedoms were being restricted, which resulted in complications of protesting. Parliament felt justified implicating these acts for a couple reasons, the British came to the colonist aid during the 7 Years War and collected a great deal of debt, and Britain needed to reassert themselves as the rulers of the colonies.
The war cost 140 million pounds. The British felt that this war was fought on behalf of the colonist. Therefore, the colonist should be responsible to payback a portion of the money spent on the war. Not only did Great Britain impose new taxes on the colonist they also Passed the Proclamation of 1763 which stated that the colonist were not allowed to settle land anywhere west of the Appalachian Mountains. This was to stop further encroachment among Native Americans. This outraged the colonist because there were already settlements in that part of the country. The colonist felt that the Proclamation of 1763 was interfering with their economic growth and there was no way Parliament was going to be able to enforce this action. They believed that nothing would stop the natural progression westward.
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
From 1688 to 1918, the British Empire was formed. At its peak, it was the largest empire in history. With 59 territories ranging from Egypt to Canada, it held sway over 14 million people. It was “the empire on which the sun never sets,” for the sun was always shining on at least one of its many territories. Britain was known as the “workshop of the world,” with a rise in population, wealth, inventions, and much more.
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
Because it is a systematic negation of the other person and a furious determination to deny the other person all attributes of humanity, colonialism forces the people it dominates to ask themselves the question constantly: "In reality, who am I?" (The Wretched of the Earth 250)
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.
The British had control of the thirteen colonies for many years prior to the French and Indian War. After the war Britain took sole possession of the thirteen colonies. The French and Indian War had put Britain in debt so they began taxing the colonists. Britain also began to enforce laws made by the King of England. This led to the phrase "no taxation without representation". The colonists had no other choices but to try and settle their differences with Britain or attempt to break away.
One of the richest countries, once ruled move then over half the world now outlines many countries deep history and independence. The United Kingdom ran an empire that had it all. Our history dates back to more than 800,000 years ago. The country had a charm to the unsullied land, with majestic castles rich with liberty, breathtaking coastlines and undulating meadows for miles. Great Britain was the land with a prosperous future; the power it held was overwhelming. “At the peak of its power, the phrase "the empire on which the sun never sets" was often used to describe the British Empire, because its expanse around the globe meant that the sun was always shining on at least one of its territories. By 1922 the British Empire held sway over about 458 million people, one-fifth of the world 's population at the time.” This is a great deal for such a small nation. We were running our own country as well as many others and essentially ruling the world.