Essay on American History - 1411 Words

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 thirteen colonies to help pay for it. After all, the war provided the colonists with greater protection from the natives, and now had more land that had been conquered from France. Colonists in the early 1700’s were English subjects. As Englishmen, they were entitled to certain rights. One of these rights was there was to be â€Å"no taxation without representation†. Due to the vast distance England was from the colonies, it was impossible to have a colonist represent the colonies in Parliament; therefore they should not have to pay taxes that Parliament dictated. Having Parliament dictate†¦show more content†¦Colonists began to protest, Samuel Adams was one of the main leaders in these protests. In August of 1764, he and James Otis, boycotted British imports and encouraged colonists to manufacture goods at home. (Wiki Sugar Act) Despite colonial contempt, â€Å"in early 1765, Greenville pushed through a considerably more sweeping revenue measure known as The Stamp Act.† (Faragher pg. 137) Anything that was paper got taxed. It met great resistance in the colonies. Colonial assemblies sent petitions and protests pointing out that they had no representation. The Stamp Act Congress, held in New York City, was the first significant response to Britain’s control. British government argued that the colonists were virtually represented. Virtual representation may have worked they had had internet face to face chats, but that is not even close to what they meant by the concept. Virtual representation meant that Parliament acted for the good of the nation as a whole, and not on the will of individual districts that elected them. (Faragher pg. 137) The colonists not only felt this as an injustice, but as an insult, as they were being treated like children who had no say. Protest s and demonstrations initiated by the Sons of Liberty (usually middling class, but leaders were richer) often turned violent and destructive as groups gained mass into angry mobs. Eventually tax collectors were intimidated into resigning. The tax was never effectively collected. Colonists weren’t the only onesShow MoreRelatedEssay Interpretations of American History600 Words   |  3 PagesInterpretations of American History The world is full of rich culture, diversity and experiences unique to each individual. When determining the validity of historic accounts we must factor in that particular historian’s point of view, which should be characterized by ethnicity, idealogy, theoretical or methodological preference. With these factors views of the past often vary from person to person. In this essay I will be discussing the four different stages that shaped the writing of American history over theRead MoreA Study Of Latin American History1308 Words   |  6 PagesIV. 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