The Differences Between The British And The Colonists

The Act of 1764, also known as The Sugar Act, lowered the taxes on molasses but also it had more ways to enforce the tax. In addition to the tax on molasses they taxed things such as silks, wines, and potash. The Americans were outraged with this new law. The colonists did whatever they could to ignore this new law. The British passed the Quartering Act which basically said that the American colonists have to house and feed British forces who were serving in North America. This inflamed the

One might think that all of the British colonies in the new world were all the same. This is not the case though. The colonies, although they were all British they had some similarities but mainly they had differences. The Southern, New England and Middle colonies clearly show theses similarities and differences, particularly in terms of land, labor, religion, and native relations.

During the time period of 1600 to 1776, the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies changed massively. The relationship between Great Britain and the colonies changed greatly because of three main reasons: the relationships that the colonies and Great Britain were built on, the struggles that the colonists faced because of their relationships with Great Britain, and the anger that the colonists expressed because of the ridiculous taxes that they had to pay. Once the colonists realized that they were suffering under British rule, most of the colonists became eager to be independent from Great Britain. The colonists’ Second Continental Congress believed that the acts and taxes created by the British Parliament were unconstitutional, unjust, and unfair towards the colonists and because of that belief, the Declaration signers forever changed our country.

There were a myriad of differences between Great Britain and her American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but these differences can be divided into three basic categories: economic, social, and political. The original American settlers came to the colonies for varied reasons, but a common trait among these settlers was that they still considered themselves British subjects. However, as time passed, the colonists grew disenfranchised from England. Separated from the king by three thousand miles and living in a primitive environment where obtaining simple necessities was a struggle, pragmatism became the common thread throughout all daily life in the colonies. It was this pragmatism that led the colonists to create

On April 5, 1764, the Sugar Act was the first of many taxes to be placed upon the American colonies to help pay off Britain’s debt from the American Revolution. In the Sugar Act, products imported into the colonies were being taxed, such as coffee, textiles, and, of course, sugar. The colonists did not take too kindly to this, as the number of places that they could sell to was lowered, which led to the amount of money for them to buy things was decreasing, so their economy became weaker. And as they had less money to support themselves, the taxes were affecting them more than ever. In this way, the colonists became much more aware about how the British were treating them.

In 1776, the original thirteen colonies officially declared their independence from Great Britain after the American revolution. This fight for freedom was not an easy one however and was brought on by a chain of events following the French and Indian War in 1754. After fighting in the French and Indian War, Great Britain had greatly over-extended itself, causing a period of severe debt. To cope with this debt, Parliament started trying to generate revenue for the country; one way this was done was though the passing of acts. In 1764, under the order of George Grenville, Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, the Sugar Act and the Currency Act were implemented. These two acts were consumption taxes on sugar and printing currency, respectively. Not too long after these acts were passed, the Stamp Act of 1765 occurred, requiring colonists to pay for an official seal to have their mail sent. After this act was passed, colonists were becoming angry that they were being taxed on nearly everything. This anger led to the

The Sugar Act lowered the tax on sugar, molasses, and rum. However, it provided that enforcement over this tax became stricter. The colonists weren’t used to tax because it was never enforced. The British would issue a much larger tax, and the colonist wouldn’t pay it. However, this time the British lowered the tax and increased the enforcement upon it. The British used this indirect tax on the colonies to help pay for their continental army, which did not have any members from the colonies in it. This upset the colonist because they were essentially paying off the debt of the seven years war. The colonists were frustrated over the fact that they had to pay this tax. The colonists tried to go around the British merchants by buying non- British goods, but the British ended up making that increasingly more difficult. The colonist began to speak out about this act, but the British Parliament refused to hear the complaints. The Colonists began to run several papers and published their thoughts about this tax. The May 31, 1764 edition of the The Boston News-Letter and New-England Chronicle included a letter from Boston merchants to Massachusetts General Assembly that stated, "For if our trade may be taxed, why not our lands? Why not the produce of"For if our trade may be taxed, why not our lands? Why not the produce of our lands and everything we possess or make use of? This we

From the end of the French and Indian War to the beginning of the American revolution, colonial resistance and commitment to republican values escalated. British imperial policies between 1763 and 1776, such as taxes and acts without representation and how the British treated the colonists, pushed these factors over the edge. Countless taxes were placed on the colonists in this time period, including the Sugar, Stamp, Tea, and Currency acts. These were placed on the colonists so that the British could pay back their debt that they acquired during the French and Indian War.

They felt they were being used by the Empire and saw it as not right that they could not settle on land west of the Appalachian Mountains where Britain was not residing there, but the colonists were. Sugar Act of 1764 – • The Sugar Act of 1764, which was introduced by Prime Minister George Grenville, reduced the existing tax on molasses imported into North America from the French West Indies

Organized colonial resistance began between the years 1763-1776. The policies of Britain toward their American colonies over this time period escalated tension between the two, and finally led to the rejection of Royal power by the colonies. The British policies caused this outcome because they threatened the colonists’ republican values. These were ideals adapted from the early classical Greek and Roman republics, as well as from laws established by the British. These core beliefs centered strongly on God-given inalienable rights, liberty of the people, and the belief that all should take part in the government. The combination of harsh British policies regarding taxation, settlement and everyday

Relationships between the colonists and the British Empire dwindled more after the seven years war in ended in 1763. The taxes of certain cargo and acts developed more occurrent with both the British citizens in England and the colonists in America. The colonists grew towards the idea of independence during the time period of 1763 to 1783, due to the British taxes and tariffs placed upon the colonists and the political influence from both legislatures on the people.

The only option left was to increase taxes in the colonies. In order to deal with the newly acquired land, Britain kept soldiers in the Americas to keep peace and protect colonists from Native Americans, further increasing the costs of the British Empire. On top of the troops stationed in America, King George III signed the Proclamation of 1763, forcing colonists to limit settlements to the east side of the Appalachian Mountains, reducing the amount of land which needed to be protected. As time passed, the British Parliament passed multiple taxes to make up for war debts, including the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, Tea Act, and Coercive Acts. As more acts were passed with the lack of American representation in British Parliament, tensions increased between the British and American Colonists.

The Americans had lived independently and autonomously from Great Britain since the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts in 1620. They had developed their own patriotism and did not consider themselves to be British subjects. Thus, they no longer wanted or needed Britain, for the British were like foreigners in America.

The colonists desired to have their own nation, but the British government continued to place laws and rules over them so they would not lose rule over them.

Between 1763 and 1765, the crown imposed a number of acts on the American colonist designed to recoup funds lost during the French and Indian War. One of the first acts imposed was the Sugar Act. This act was a modified version of a previous act the British had imposed in 1733 called the Sugar and Molasses act, which was about to expire. Under the old act, colonial merchants had been required to pay a tax of six pence per gallon on any importation of foreign molasses. The colonist undercut the market by instead buying molasses from the French West Indies instead of the British West Indies. The colonist used the molasses purchased cheaper from the French to produce rum. Because of this practice, Lord Grenville, the first lord of the Treasury increased the presence of British naval ships and instructed them to become more stringent in their enforcement of customs.