Earlier conflict between the British and other European countries and their respective colonies led to the crisis of the Sugar and Stamp Act, "Pressed for funds because of the enormous expense it had incurred in fighting the Seven Years' War, Parliament for the first time attempted to raise money from direct taxes in the colonies rather than through the regulation of trade" (Freedom 90). The British needed money and decided that this would be a good, fast way to get it. The colonists on the other hand felt that they were being unjustly taxed because they were not able to vote for or against these taxation's. The British just enacted them without the colonists approval.
The British colonial rules were developed a in order to revoke many of the freedoms that the colonists had become accustomed to. Many colony governors were replaced in order to suppress the colonists. The Sugar Act, "also established a new machinery to end widespread smuggling by colonial merchants, and to counteract the tendency of colonial juries to acquit merchants charged with violating trade regulations, it strengthened the admiralty courts, where accused smugglers could be judged without benefit of a jury trial" (Liberty 180). The colonists were outraged, "more and more colonists insisted that Britain had no right to tax them at all, since Americans were unrepresented in the House of Commons. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry" (Liberty 182).
The Virginia House of Burgresses adopted the first four resolutions but rejected the final three because the felt they were, "too radical" (Freedom 90). The colonists were not looking for Independence at this time, or war.
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4 comments:
I liked how you said the fact that the colonists were not looking for freedom but intentionally were just trying to find a way to get back to the way things were.
The rich and poor were effected by the Sugar Act but you would think that because the rich were of HIgher Status the King would maybe look to find another way where just the colonists were affected.
thats a very good point you made! life would be much different if those bills had passed. Interesting how something so long ago can have such a big affect on our lifes today.
The government definitely did find a quick and easy way to raise money from what was lost in the Seven Years' War. Too bad they did it in such a scandalize way to tax the colonists in America without talking to them or their higher orders. I also liked how the colonists stood up for themselves with “No taxation without Representation”. It really shows that even though they had these taxes dumped on them, they wouldn’t just sit around and let the government tax them as they pleased.
The government definitely did find a quick and easy way to raise money from what was lost in the Seven Years' War. Too bad they did it in such a scandalize way to tax the colonists in America without talking to them or their higher orders. I also liked how the colonists stood up for themselves with “No taxation without Representation”. It really shows that even though they had these taxes dumped on them, they wouldn’t just sit around and let the government tax them as they pleased.
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