The Decolonization Of England

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.

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.

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.

In an excerpt from the Second Continental Congress, the colonists questioned, “What is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited a power?” (Document 5). They felt as though they were unprotected under British rule. King George of England acted as a tyrant, freely taxing the colonies for no good reason. John Dickinson, a leader who served in the Stamp Act Congress, stated, “Never did the British parliament, (until the passage of the Stamp Act) think of imposing duties in America for the purpose of raising revenue” (Document 2). After the Stamp Act, none of the taxes were justified; the colonies were being taxed simply to create income for Britain. With the unlimited control and absurd taxes, the colonists were bound to start a

Due to the British tightening their control over the colonies to pay off the huge debt after the French and Indian War, patriots rebelled and started a revolution that would lead to great things. These were colonists who believed that the right to govern themselves belonged to the colonies. Britain had recently gotten into a war in the Americas against France and the Native Americans. Although they won and expanded their American empire, the debt they were in was just about up to their necks. To help solve this problem, they took more control over the colonies. Before the Proclamation of 1763, Britain did not pay much attention to the colonies. However Prime Minister George Grenville needed help to pay off the debt, and the British people were already paying taxes on several of their

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.

One of the biggest causes began with England tenaciously taxing the colonies, forcing them to pay extra for items that were normally much cheaper and easier to get. These taxes were called tax acts, and things like paper, glass, sugar and other essential imported British goods were being taxed. This made the colonists furious. Not only were the supplies they needed much more expensive, they didn't have any say in it either. They called it taxation without representation, and they showed their discontent by boycotting and even smuggling products. But no matter how hard they tried, Britain would not give in very easily. After the long and hard French and Indian War, a seven-year conflict between England and France, they had a great deal of debt to pay off.

Next, the French and Indian war changed the economic relations between the British and the colonies was the taxation Britain started. Due to the French and Indian war Britain was in debt and they wanted the colonists to pay them back for the money they spent in the war protecting them. The colonies didn’t feel that it was right to have to pay them since the mother country should take care of the smaller one. Before the war the

Why weren’t the thirteen colonies willing to abide by England’s laws? While some people were horrified with the Stamp Act, others were completely accepting of this new act. Janis Herbert stated in her book, The American Revolution for Kids, that after the French and Indian War, England had many debts, which obviously needed to be paid (3). England’s Parliament decided the American colonists needed to pay their debts for them. England went about this matter by raising taxes and requiring a stamp for fifty different documents (Gale Encyclopedia Par. 2). Since America was not yet a country, and had no representation, they were trapped with the laws Parliament passed. Even though England was trying to pay off their debts from the French & Indian War, they went about it the wrong way, because they expected the American colonists to pay by increased tax dollars. This is an example of taxation without representation, because the American colonists didn't have representatives, or the opportunity to vote.

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.