Loyalist Views During the American Revolution During the 1760s and 1770s, a transition occurred in the colonies turning the once loyal British subjects into disorderly revolutionaries. The large British Empire ruled over a vast number of colonies making it difficult for the British government to enforce laws in every single one. In the 150 years before its colonies in North America, the British had maintained the unofficial policy of salutary neglect in which the British government turned a blind eye letting the colonies essentially run themselves. This policy of disregarding the colonies led to the colonists engaging in illegal activity such as smuggling. When the British began to enforce direct taxes and stamp out smuggling, the colonists
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In 1764, the Sugar Act was passed placing customs duties on sugar and non-British imports. This angered the colonists in New England and the Middle Colonies, because it made smuggling more difficult. However, there was little protest, because the tax only affected a small amount of people in the colonies. In 1765, the British passed the Stamp Act, which required all paper used to carry a purchased stamp. The purpose of the Stamp Act was to increase income for the British Empire, whose funds had recently decreased after the Seven Years War. The colonists felt that they were cleaning up the mess made by Great Britain, and didn’t believe that they should have to pay for a war waged by Britain especially when there was no colonial representation in Parliament. However, the colonies failed to see that they obtained the most benefits from the Seven Years War. Taxes where nothing new in the colonies; in fact, colonial legislatures passed their own taxes to finance the colonies. Therefore, Britain asking for repayment from the colonies was not an unfair request, but that did not stop the colonies from viewing the British government as tyrannical. The colonies were merely selfish in their motives of revolution, which is ironic because that was exactly what they accused the British Empire
In 1764, the Sugar Act was passed placing customs duties on sugar and non-British imports. This angered the colonists in New England and the Middle Colonies, because it made smuggling more difficult. However, there was little protest, because the tax only affected a small amount of people in the colonies. In 1765, the British passed the Stamp Act, which required all paper used to carry a purchased stamp. The purpose of the Stamp Act was to increase income for the British Empire, whose funds had recently decreased after the Seven Years War. The colonists felt that they were cleaning up the mess made by Great Britain, and didn’t believe that they should have to pay for a war waged by Britain especially when there was no colonial representation in Parliament. However, the colonies failed to see that they obtained the most benefits from the Seven Years War. Taxes where nothing new in the colonies; in fact, colonial legislatures passed their own taxes to finance the colonies. Therefore, Britain asking for repayment from the colonies was not an unfair request, but that did not stop the colonies from viewing the British government as tyrannical. The colonies were merely selfish in their motives of revolution, which is ironic because that was exactly what they accused the British Empire