What marked the end of the French and Indian War was just the beginning stages leading to the American Revolution. Due to the expenses of this war, the British were over their heads in debt. They decided what better way to alleviate this deficit than to tax the American colonies left and right.
The extensive taxation started with proposal of the Sugar Act of 1764 by George Grenville, the prime minister at the time. Originally, Grenville wanted 6 pence per gallon, but eventually agreed to make it 3. This act was thoroughly ignored through bribing customs officials. The Stamp Act of 1765 was put into action to help fund the British military stationed in the colonies. It placed a tax on all legal documents, newspapers, playing cards, and other printed items. Later that year, representatives from nine colonial assemblies got together for the Stamp Act Congress in New York City. This is the first time we see a strong, unified force in the colonies. Mobs, calling themselves the Sons of Liberty, caused this act to crumble through force and intimidation. Since William Pitt frequently missed Parliament sessions due to sickness, Charles Townshend, the head of the Treasury, was left in charge. He came up with the Townshend Act of 1767 to feed his financial (and political) desires. This was to impose taxes on pretty much everything the colonies got from Britain (that they didn't have themselves)- tea, paper, red and white lead, glass, etc. The tax the British people paid on these items was lifted and put on to the colonists. Ultimately, these Navigation Acts were what escalated the levels of hostility, leading to the American Revolution. If any of these imperial decisions were made differently, could the revolution have been avoided? Or would it just have postponed the inevitable?
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As we discussed in class, the war could have been avoided. I think that the colonists had an inflated sense of power because the British backed down and repeled the taxes that they imposed when the colonists resisted. This allowed the colonists to gain confidence in their resistance.
Without the taxations on the colonies, they would have never unified because they would never had a reason to. So by forcing the colonies to pay the debt they definately bit off more than they could chew. Although they couldnt have imagined that they would ever lose control of thier colonies, they shot themselves in the foot time and time again. And i do agree that they definately showed signs of weakness to the colonies by repealing all the taxes they enacted.
It is interesting how easy it was for the colonists to unite and protest against the inconvenience of Britain’s taxes. After being so separate at first, they managed unify into groups such as the Sons of Liberty, and even form government organizations like the Continental Congress, even though it was illegal. This was also the first time that women united and protested together. They especially boycotted the Townshend tax on tea and other items because they were most affected by it. This unity was essential in fighting together against the British in the Revolutionary War.
If parliament had never taxed the colonies the war would have been avoided because, as Joshua said, the colonies would not have had any reason to unify and organize resistances. The colonist did not realize that when Parliament first started taxing them, British citizens were paying the same taxes along with other taxes. The colonists had grown too used to self-government and not paying taxes to Parliament. In reality, they shoul dhave been paying taxes the whole time; they had just found ways to avoid those taxes during the period of salutary neglect.
The British taxing on the colonies definitely brought the colonies closer together. The colonists formed governments and many women united with protests against the taxes. Overall, the British taxes created a unity throughout the colonists that helped them fight in the Revolutionary War.
The revolution could have been avoided with different decisions. i agree that the taxes is what forced the colonies into unity against the British. If the British would have given the colonists equal rights as British citizens it could have been avoided, but at the same time the colonists were wanting more than they should get. They should have to pay for the war that Britain helped them win, but they shouldnt have to quarter troops during a time of peace.
Even if the colonist were give representation, it would have been so insignificant in parliament's votes on taxation the colonist would have still had to deal with all the tax acts. Eventually the colonist would have then had to rebel and fight the way because they wanted a democracy.
I beleive that two things were the main contributors to the unification of the colonies. The first and most important thing was the taxes. Almost all colonist felt that they should not have to pay the dept of england cause they simply protected there own colony. The secound thing I beleive is very important and is overlooked a lot is the fact that colonist were barred from moving west of the appalachian mountains and that was another things that greately frustrated the colonist.
I agree with Tom's post. Just to add to that, it is important to remember that the colonial cities were probably getting crowded at this point. The fact that the colonists were being taxed added frustration to the matter because the colonists were unable to give proper land to their families when they died. The taxes were unfair because the colonists did not give consent to be taxed. They had no representation in Parliament at all, and were not allowed to have it. I think that if things kept going the way that they did, which was what happened, was was inevitable.
I believe that we would have postponed the inevitable. If it weren't for all the taxes at that time, we would have not gotten so irritated with them. But eventually they were going to put the final nail in the coffin.
Yes it could have been avoided, now don't get me wrong, I do not agree with they way the Acts went against the colonies, but these colonists knew exactly what they were getting into before they came to North America. If the British would have enforced these policies from the start perhaps we would still be ruled by England, that is where the mistake happened. By using the salutary neglect policy, the British allowed the colonists to change their outlook on life, to want to be free, to feel as if they were equal or even better than their counterparts across the Atlantic. Even then through British and American compromise(The only compromises came from the British) the war could have been avoided. But because "WE" are a STUBORN people, we chose not to see the British compromise and decided that the British were treating us worst than what was the actual case.
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