If only we had a voice. Taxation without a vote in English parliament appears to be the driving factor in the wedge driven between England and Colonies in the 17th and 18th century. Between the induction of the Navigation Acts and the implementation of the other taxation acts to regain lost revenue from the French and Indian War was mostly a salutary neglect period where the British government mostly let the Colonists govern themselves. With the death of King George II and the raise of King George III, this all changed. The forced taxation upon the Colonists without parliamentary representation to vote on the reforms caused an eventual uprising beginning the Revolutionary War with The Declaration of Independence.
Do We Have A Say? Colonial taxation was not a new issue. Prior to the French and Indian war in 1754, the British monarchy imposed many tax acts. These acts were an attempt to gain income from the Colonists on the many import and exports they delivered and received yearly (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Two of these acts were the Navigation Act of 1660 …show more content…
After the war, Britain had a massive debt due to all the military support in the Colonies (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Part of this was because the British Colonists paid a fraction of the taxes that British citizens living in Britain paid. Colonists paid roughly 1 shilling on average whereas those citizens living in country paid 26 shillings per year. Over the next decade, seven tax acts were enacted to offset this apparent unequal taxation (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Because the Colonists did not have representation in the British Parliament, they viewed these taxes as illegal. While citizens that were living in England had taxes, they had representation in parliament to at least vote on whether to enact these taxes, the Colonists did not have this right (Tindall & Shi,
Do We Have A Say? Colonial taxation was not a new issue. Prior to the French and Indian war in 1754, the British monarchy imposed many tax acts. These acts were an attempt to gain income from the Colonists on the many import and exports they delivered and received yearly (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Two of these acts were the Navigation Act of 1660 …show more content…
After the war, Britain had a massive debt due to all the military support in the Colonies (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Part of this was because the British Colonists paid a fraction of the taxes that British citizens living in Britain paid. Colonists paid roughly 1 shilling on average whereas those citizens living in country paid 26 shillings per year. Over the next decade, seven tax acts were enacted to offset this apparent unequal taxation (Tindall & Shi, 2013). Because the Colonists did not have representation in the British Parliament, they viewed these taxes as illegal. While citizens that were living in England had taxes, they had representation in parliament to at least vote on whether to enact these taxes, the Colonists did not have this right (Tindall & Shi,