Economic Restraints And The American Revolution - 1286 Words

Joy Ansell Upon arriving in North America, John Winthrop stated the purpose of the colonies, We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. The passengers on the boat that left England had a vision, to be an example for the rest of the world. And for over 100 years, Great Britain ruled over these colonies, under the undocumented policy of salutary neglect. Salutary neglect was a long standing policy that allowed the colonists to violate the laws of trade. However, the British reversed this policy to raise taxes for the debts caused by the French and Indian War. After the reversal of the policy, the colonists started to grow tired and angry over the taxation. They debated Great Britain’s legal power to tax them†¦show more content†¦To pay for soldiers, which cost about 320,000 pounds a year. They imposed the Sugar Act in the colonies in 1764, to collect taxes on imported molasses. In fact, the Sugar Act lowered the tax on imported sugar from six pence a g allon to three pence. However, the taxes were actually being collected as opposed to when they were not under salutary neglect, which upset the colonists. To get out of paying the taxes, colonists began to smuggle the sugar. And in response to the smuggling, the British gave its Navy more power to capture merchant vessels. To supply the Navy with even more power, the British also passed the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act required that all legal documents in the colonies bear a tax stamp that could only be purchased from official tax collectors. The colonists were furious, however England was open to new ideas and solutions. Prime Minister George Grenville, the author of the Stamp Act said, â€Å"I am not set upon this tax, If the Americans dislike it and prefer any other method of raising the money themselves and if they choose any other mode I shall be satisfied, provided the money be raised.† England was more than happy to change the tax, as long as the colonists could come up w ith another way to pay revenue. After all the taxes were the colonists responsibility as colonies and for their part in the war debts.