Struggle Of The American Colonists In 1776

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The world would not be the same if the American colonists had not gained their much earned independence in 1776. The Americans went through many hardships to gain their independence. For example, these colonists were forced to pay taxes to Britain to pay for a debt that the British gained from the French and Indian War, a war over farmland in the Ohio River Valley. The colonists boycotted and sent petitions as a result to the taxes, claiming it was unfair. In addition, when the American colonists fought for their independence, they were cut off from an abundant amount of resources. For instance, a port in Boston was closed and the people of Boston had a scarce amount of resources. If the colonists were to receive their independence, many hardships, …show more content…
It was unfair towards the colonists to be taxed and pay a debt for something that they did not cause. Many Americans expected at most, a minimum rise in taxes since they had fought in the French and Indian War (Davidson 146). On the other hand, the British, deeply in debt, thought it was fair to make the colonists pay taxes to help pay off the debt that Britain had caused. In result, came many acts that caused increasing conflict and anger between the Americans and the British. A few of these acts were the Sugar, Stamp, and Quartering Acts. The Sugar Act, which was a duty, or import tax, put on numerous goods such as molasses, sugar, coffee, and indigo, was put in place in 1764. Many colonists became extremely irritated because it called for “...harsh punishment of smugglers” (Davidson 146). Colonial Merchants that lost money because their income was coming from smuggled goods, protested (Davidson 146). A year later, in 1765, the Quartering Act was passed by the Parliament. The Quartering Act required colonists to house British troops, and supply them with resources. Once more, colonists protested with anger, claiming the Parliament was disregarding their rights (Davidson 147). The third act, the Stamp Act, caused people to put stamps on and pay taxes for products and activities, including newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards. The frustrated American colonists claimed that the government was putting taxes on the “...most mundane aspects of daily life” (Awesome Stories). They boycotted all British goods, refusing to buy or pay taxes for them. In 1776, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. Later, though, another act was passed, called the Tea Act. The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to ship tea straight to the colonies, which gave the company a monopoly (Davidson 150). Anger arose throughout the American Colonists. Some of the colonists
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