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How Did Taxes Affect Colonial America

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The 1770s brought to America changes in many forms. Britain’s rule over the colonies seemed to be slipping away as the monarchy struggled to maintain its influence over the people. The disjoint between the colonies and Britain allowed for a breeding ground of insurgency. Taxation on all sorts of goods such as tea, paper, and molasses were at an all-time high. Taxes were so important to the British that they even passed acts which specifically benefited companies that would directly benefit the crown. The taxation also affected colonists by angering them over the fact that their collected monies were used to pay the salaries of English representatives appointed by the crown instead of the people. Among other things, quartering was something …show more content…

Because of all the war debt inherited by King George, both the Sugar and Stamp Acts were enforced to bring in extra income in an effort for the crown to be able to satiate their debt. Even in the efforts of the colonist to suggest alternatives to the taxes, the crown remained obstinate in their crusade for American monies. After claiming that they were lacking actual representation in England, The Monarchy continued to work off the existing system of virtual representation to represent the colonists. Much of the animosity towards the topic of fair and honest representation stems from the British’s own wording of their agreements with the settlers. Verbiage in official acts, like the Navigation Act, only further confirmed that the British viewed Americans as non-English citizens under the protection of the …show more content…

This was some of the first concrete pieces of evidence of anti-British ideals to be observed within the time. The monarchy system had alienated colonists so much that Thomas Paine, in Common Sense, even went on to call it “the disgrace of human nature” (Paine). Once Britain decided to react to the supposed American rebellion, they sent troops to the colonies and forced its citizens to feed, clothe, and house them; thereby leading to another major issue for the common man. The act of quartering seemed to be in direct violation to the rights of free men. After the extremely tragic event which was the Boston Massacre, colonist saw the British troops occupying the areas as thirsty for American blood. Why should they have to house those which mean to slit their throats? All was permissible from a lack of a

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