Were the American colonies justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain? After the French and Indian war Great Britain was in debt. There weren't a lot of ways in which Great Britain could receive money and the one most definite way that they could was by taxing the colonies. This angered the colonists tremendously. " Everything here is in the utmost confusion. Committees are appointed to inspect into the character and conduct of every tradesmen, to prevent them selling tea or buying British manufacturers. Some have been tattered and feathered, others had their property burned and destroyed by the populace." (Document 4). There were a good amount of people from the British government who thought that the colonists were not justified