The colonists thought this was unjust because England was shifting their own tax load to the colonies. They had no say in what to tax or how much to tax. Furthermore, much of the tax collected was given to British Officials
The British say, “The colonists have not fulfilled their responsibility to pay England back from defending them against the French and Indians in the war.” They were being taxed because they weren’t paying back their share but still got mathey didn’t understand that. “The colonists are traitors for not paying the taxes, which as a colony of England, is considered treason.” The colonists thought they could get away without paying taxes but that is treason. If you don’t follow the rules of the country you can get in a lot of trouble.
"Those who want to reap the benefits of this great nation must bear the fatigue of supporting it" (Thomas Paine). This quote relates to the struggles that the British had to endure while finding solutions for their many dilemmas. In order for the British to have full advantage over the colonial nation, they had to overcome these issues. They figured that they could press the American colonists to help share this burden, which would not only be a solution for their problems, but would also increase their power throughout the country. Therefore, the British desired to tax the American colonists due to the financial consequences of the French and Indian war, to demonstrate sovereignty, and for defense against the French.
When World War II ended, the United States rejoiced with what they assumed their victory would determine; total peace, the discontinuation of Communism, the return of all the dearly missed soldiers, and greater equality for all, especially in the workplace. Much to the dismay of many citizens at home during the war, these aspirations were not exactly what they expected. In the near short years right after the war, there was much prosperity and many were perfectly content, but in these years, many had difficult times with the changes that occurred after the war. With these rough times came many fears of the conditions of the country, but many of these fears were greatly calmed through the work of the President Eisenhower in the 1950s. In the
The colonists believe that ever since the French and Indian war, their rights as being an English citizen have become less and less of that of an British citizen in England. The colonists believed they too were entitled to the writes of British citizens as they were under British law and power. But, it was not seen that way. It was also stated that the King, that being King George III was not above the law and still had to obey parliament. Jefferson stated that the King was a tyrant.
The colonists rallied behind the idea of “no taxation without representation.” In 1765, Patrick Henry explained to the Virginia House of Burgesses that, “We can under law be taxed only by our own representatives . We have no representatives in the British Parliament.” (Document 1) His argument was simple, they can not be taxed by Britain without representation in the British Parliament, and his solution was simple too, do not obey them.
The final reason the colonists were unjustified was that they were the only reason Britain had treated them so poorly. As a result of the French and Indian War - which was fought for the colonists - the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Act of 1767 were used to pay for war efforts. Also, the Proclamation of 1763, which forced colonists to live east of the Application Mountains, protected the colonists from the Indians and prevented future conflicts between them. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 would not have existed if not for the Boston Tea Party - in which the colonists dumped about 1 million dollars worth of tea into the Boston Harbor: it only existed to demonstrate Britain’s power over the colonists. Finally, the Boston Massacre would have
The king of England was not an unjust ruler. He imposed the taxes on the Americans as payment for the protection that the military provided the colonies from Native Americans and French soldiers who considered the land that was colonized by the British as theirs. Not only were the people being protected, but every colony had a representative that spoke for the people and could communicate their grievances with the king given the chance to have an audience. In addition, King George the third removed some taxes that were placed on the Americans after various complaints from the representatives.
For example, according to document one, the British soldiers undertook the arduous task of protecting the colonists during the French-Indian War. During the French-Indian War the French and some Native Americans banded together to oppose the British in America, and the British eventually won but still accumulated debts. They reasoned that the colonists should help pay off the war debts since they were the ones being protected, and thus raised the revenue by taxing them. However, it was already their duty to protect the colonists since they were British citizens, so the colonists should not have had to bear the brunt of the debt considering that they also served in the war. Additionally, even if they did plan to tax, the British should have consulted the colonists on the matter, and since they did not, the tax came as a surprise and was despised by the colonists.
In document C, John Dickinson explains to his fellow colonists that Parliament never considered imposing taxes in the colonies until the period following the French and Indian War. Document A implies that the reason being was simply because Britain had dug themselves into a pile of debt due to aid from other countries and the expenses of war, and because the British felt that the colonies owed them for enabling them to freely use the Mississippi River, Parliament believed that imposing taxes for revenue from the colonies was just. However, Patriots believed otherwise. Salutary Neglect has been an active law in the colonies since 1696, and up until now they have been perfectly fine not enforcing British acts and policies, but all of a sudden colonists are forced into paying revenue on everything from paper (Townshend Act) to stamps (Stamp Act). Parliament even placed tax on British tea imports.
The taxes were so high that it created a serious threat of revolt. So the American colonies should not stay under Britain’s rule because they are making them pay for something that the colonists had nothing to with. It just is helping out the
After the French and Indian War the British were had a gargantuan debt! In order to pay off such a huge debt they imposed new taxes and enforced old ones. Great Britain thought that it was allowed to pass laws like these, because Britain had protected the colonists therefore the colonists have to give obedience. Laws like the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, Tea Act, and along with the British being oblivious to colonists’ pleas to change the harsh laws (Document 2) allowed
During the Colonial Era (1492-1763), colonists were justified in waging war against Great Britain; due to the inequitable Stamp Act, the insufferable British oppression, and the perceived tyranny of King George III, the king of Great Britain, however, the colonists were unjustified in some of their actions. In Colonial America, colonists were justified in waging war against Great Britain, because the Stamp Act was unfair and viewed as punishment. Because of the war, Britain had no other choice but to tax the colonists to pay for the debt. For example, according to document 2, the author states that the act was not only for trade but for “the single purpose of levying money.”
The American Revolution was, to date, the best event to happen on American soil, providing freedom and representation in government to the individuals who fought so hard for it. France and Spain aided our cause, helping this group of brave colonists to defeat the strongest army in the world. But, there is a question still not answered; were the colonists justified in breaking away from Britain? The American colonists were justified in breaking away from the British because there was taxation without representation, they had no freedom, and the British government violated their individual British rights. I believe the American colonists were justified for breaking away from Britain because there was taxation without representation.
This is critical because Britain had been taxing the colonists without their consent, then assumed the role of judge and jury. The colonists right to a fair trial and jury, and should not have had to pay taxes they did not consent to. Samuel Adams describes the way that the colonists felt after the Intolerable Acts were passed in Document 15: “The people receive this cruel edict with abhorrence and indignation.” The Intolerable Acts shut down the Boston harbor and the Declaratory Acts gave Britain total power of the colonies. The