British Had The Right To Tax The American Colonies Essay

I believe the British had the right to tax the American Colonies because they were British territories, received protection from the British Army, and the people who lived there were considered British subjects. While the colonists were unrepresented in Parliament, the laws of Great Britain were clear that the taxation of the American Colonies was completely legal and well warranted. Up until the 1760’s the colonist had enjoyed tax-free living. However, in Great Britain the native population there was under heavy tax burdens because of the ongoing Seven Years’ War in North America. To cover the cost of the war and the army in the Colonies, British Parliament passed tax acts on the Colonies. The colonists were certainly correct in their arguments that they had not been represented in Parliament while the tax acts were being debated. Nonetheless, the Colonies were subject to the British law Parliament took the only action it could, taxing the Colonies.
Firstly, the taxation was fair because the Colonies were British territories subject to British authority. This …show more content…
The Colonies were British territories that were liable to royal decrees from the King and acts passed by Parliament. Secondly, the British Army protected the Colonies from French and Native American incursions into the Colonies. Lastly, the colonists themselves were subjects of the British government. With these three arguments, the British government justifies their reasoning for the tax acts levied on the American Colonies. As a final word to convince those who would still argue the British government had unfairly taxed the 13 Colonies, the British government did not tax these Colonies alone. All Colonies of the British Empire received the tax acts, but the primary tax payments for the Empire would be out of the American Colonies. These are the reasons the British had a right to tax the American