The mercantilism that was used to govern the colonies when they were first being established, led to many problems. The British passed many laws that angered the colonist and in turn, ended up hurting England. When considering the effects of the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Act, it is clear that policies and laws passed by England created economic issues that lead to the American Revolution.
The Sugar Act was one of the first taxes that the colonists had to pay. It taxed the colonist of goods like sugar, tobacco, and rice. It angered the colonists because they felt that they shouldn’t be taxed on something when they don’t have a say in it. They wanted to be a part of parliament and have representatives in government that had a voice and spoke for the colonies. One of the more famous expressions of the time because “No taxation without representation.” This slogan inspired many colonists to boycott taxed goods like sugar, and to protest against these taxes. These protests were peaceful, but over time escalated into revolts.
The Stamp Act was another law passed that frustrated the colonists. This tax had the sole purpose to gain Britain revenue to repay its war debts. With this tax implicated colonists now had to used stamped papers and certify payment of taxes. Stamps were required on bills of sale for over 50 trade items. Because the only purpose of this tax was to raise revenue, it especially angered the colonists. They did not feel it was necessary that they pay for the debt that England got itself into. If the colonies were not affected or had not participated in the war then they should not be responsible for the debts. This tax caused many fights and revolts. The colonists discomfort and bitter feeling towards the mother country, forced parliament to repeal the stamp act. Although the law was repealed, it didn’t change the way the colonies already felt about England.
The Townshend Acts were laws that put taxes on glass, lead, paper goods, paint, and tea. This was the final straw for the colonists. They were so upset and angered with these taxes that they decided to revolt very aggressively. When the Boston tea party was planned the colonists knew that it would have a major effect on Britain. The Boston tea party occurred one night when a group over revolutionaries got together and boarded a British ship and dumped thousands of dollars worth of tea in the ocean. Not only had they been boycotting many of these goods, but now even the loyalists were not able to purchase such items, and all the money that England planned on gaining from the tea was now nonexistent because there was no tea to sell.
In conclusion it is apparent that many taxes and laws passed on the colonies created many economic issues. These issues were a major long term cause of the revolution, and help to “feed the fire”. The control of Britain in the colonies was only going to be around for a short time and when the colonies became America there were many new polices used to govern the new nation. These policies were accepted nationally because everyone had a say in what laws were passed and which weren’t.
