American History Essay -- History, British Colonies, War

From 1754 to 1763, the French and Indian War cost Britain greatly. Feeling that the colonists benefitted the most from this war, Britain decided to tax the bakers dozen colonies to help pay for it. After all, the war provided the colonists with greater protection from the natives, and this instant had more land that had been conquered from France. Colonists in the early 1700s were English subjects. As Englishmen, they were entitled to certain rights. One of these rights was there was to be no gross without representation. Due to the vast distance England was from the colonies, it was impossible to contrive a colonist represent the colonies in fan tan therefore they should non have to pay taxes that Parliament dictated. Having Parliament dictate taxes was not merely a br to each one of rights, but was basically an indirect way of utterly compulsory the affairs of the colonists. By getting taxes from the colonists, Britain could directly give these taxes to their governors, who often did not have colonists best interests in mind. By levy themselves, the governor would have to go through their representatives to get money, and in so doing, would have to play nice I order to pay for things he unavoidablenessed done. Colonists were afraid they would lose their self-governing abilities, and ultimately suffer at the hands of tyrannical governors. (As an analogy, it would be like Ohio having no senators, and Washington do all of our laws for us.) Britain did not take colonist arguments against taxation as valid. Britain began this compress by revamping the Molasses Act, into the Sugar Act 1764. By increasing the enforcement of the new act, and by reducing the percentage from 6 to 3 %, Britain hoped to keep colonists in line. by chance if the colonists wer... ...these acts, the first continental congress was formed. Among the leaders were Patrick Henry, George Washington, Samuel Adams, and John Adams. They believed that the Thirteen Acts of Parliament were not only unconstitutional, but went against basic human rights. They didnt want to have war, but they did make a stand. They decided the best inclination was to completely boycott all British goods, and to stop all trade of colonial goods to Britain. They were able to stop the import and export by having each county, city, and town select a committee to oversee that the colonists were all in accord (Faragher. pg. 145). These committees are what enabled the colonists to organize retaliation from British troops. On phratry 1, 1774, General Thomas Gage sent troops to seize stores of gunpowder and arms from several storehouses on the outskirts of Boston (Faragher pg. 145)