(This is a historical informative post with added rhetorical questions)
A large debt was incurred by the British government over a small period of time, during a time of economic recession that would last a few decades. In order to pay for this debt, they increased taxes on lots of imported goods like beer, salt and many more common items. More and more loyal people to the British government stepped up to become government workers to help keep track of these large increases in taxes. Many other people critized these large increases in taxes, larger government and tighter government control, but the British government officials only viewed these people as an annoyance. This was only the beginning.
The British government with its high taxes, led to many Americans smuggling imports and exports to France and other nations, avoiding all British taxes completely and thus staying competitive with the rest of the world trading commerce. The British government had made itself more expensive then the rest of the world, so they then decided to reduce its taxes on Sugar alone, to help British sugar merchants become more competitive with the American smugglers! Men like American John Hancock, as a smuggler of molasses (contains sugar), was hurt by these reduced taxes! He recognized that the British government was trying to kill off American businesses, one industry at a time through the use of taxes. The British government would put royally appointed judges for all smuggling trials, instead of the normally used local juries. Also, merchants accused of smuggling would now have to prove their innocents, instead of the state proving their guilt.
Now the British government needed a way to pay for the troops stationed in the colonies. They made up a Stamp tax that was required on all printed papers, such as newspapers, legal documents, and many other printed documents. Plus, all stamps had to be purchased in British currency, rather than the local American currency and only from royal collectors. Why? What was the British governments true motive? It doesnt seem right with all these laws and taxes, and these American colonies had no representation at all in the British government. Taxation without any representation at its best, or perhaps worst. The American colonies, still under a recession, were being targeted; industrial men, traders and merchants, all became severely affected by these taxes. Mobs soon were seen throughout the colonies, harassing stamp agents and tax collectors!
Again, another new tax was to be imposed, called the Townshend act, which taxed all imported glass, paint, lead, paper and tea. This tax would pay british appointed governors and other royal colonial officials, instead of having them rely financially on Americans local government officials. A shifting of power had taken place. Boycotts of imports would take place many times over the next half decade. Due to the economic recession continuing, the British government repealed this Townshend tax, but not completely, as tea would continue to be taxed. This was also done to help relive the tension building up in the American colonies.
Once again, the British government went after another specific industrytea. A British tea company called East India Company, was in financial trouble, so the government stepped in to help by allowing this company to sell tea directly to the American colonies, cutting out all American merchant dealers. Plus the price would be set to allow it to be the cheapest tea, even with the British taxes added to it. What a bargain for us Americans! In spite of all this, 90% of all purchased tea in the colonies was Dutch tea, which of course was illegal to purchase, according to the British government. The unity and magnitude from us Americans was greatly miscalculated! On the night of December 16, 1773, Americans disguised as Indians illegally boarded the Dartmouth, a cargo ship bearing 342 chests of East India Tea, and threw a party, by dumping the entire cargo in to the Boston Harbor, an event that would spark the revolution into full swing.
The British government would pass Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) in 1774, which were a series of laws that would target Massachusetts, by making an example of them. American government officials in Massachusetts would now be under direct British control. All and any trials could now be moved directly to Britain, instead of using local juries and judges. And all housing would now have to accept British soldiers at any and all times. The British government would ban all town hall meetings to suppress the gathering of people and ideas. The Boston Harbor would be shut down until payment to the East India Company was made for the lost tea, but we Americans would never pay this.
Over 200 years ago, we fought for our independence. Our taxes had gone from 1% to 2% and inspired great men to create a new nation, with a constitution worth dying for. In 200 years from today, 2009, what will historians say about the American Revolution and it's long term effects for the new nation? Will we end up becoming a nation we once revolted against?
Happy Birthday America.
<S>
