The fundamental difference between the British and the rebellious Americans concerned political authority. (Cogliano, F. D. (2011, February 17).
The British Perspective
"The conflict between Parliament and the colonies had arisen out of the different assumptions made on each side of the Atlantic." (Cogliano, F. D. (2011, February 17).
For roughly one hundred and fifty years the British had a loyal and trustworthy relationship with the American colonists. They had no reason to believe that the American colonists would ever turn against them in any way. The British were pleased with the amount of power they had over the colonists and were happy that the colonists lived their lives in the British tradition over seas in America. However the French and Indian War created deficits in the British treasury which needed to be replenished. Instead of taxing their own citizens in Britain, Parliament decided that it would be best to tax the American colonists for that revenue. The British did not foresee any push back from the American colonists.
Parliament decided that they had to enforce the existing tax laws that had, up until this point, not been enforced. The British needed to send customs agents to the colonies to enforce the tax policies. As a result of this enforcement, the colonial economy was negatively affected along with the availability of currency which resulted in the colonists creation of bills of credit. The British did not recognize these as a legal form of payment.
The British continued taxation without representation that led to further riots and eventually the colonists declared their independence from Britain. The British had lost their authority over the colonies and could no longer tax the American colonists on any of their imported goods.
For roughly one hundred and fifty years the British had a loyal and trustworthy relationship with the American colonists. They had no reason to believe that the American colonists would ever turn against them in any way. The British were pleased with the amount of power they had over the colonists and were happy that the colonists lived their lives in the British tradition over seas in America. However the French and Indian War created deficits in the British treasury which needed to be replenished. Instead of taxing their own citizens in Britain, Parliament decided that it would be best to tax the American colonists for that revenue. The British did not foresee any push back from the American colonists.
Parliament decided that they had to enforce the existing tax laws that had, up until this point, not been enforced. The British needed to send customs agents to the colonies to enforce the tax policies. As a result of this enforcement, the colonial economy was negatively affected along with the availability of currency which resulted in the colonists creation of bills of credit. The British did not recognize these as a legal form of payment.
The British continued taxation without representation that led to further riots and eventually the colonists declared their independence from Britain. The British had lost their authority over the colonies and could no longer tax the American colonists on any of their imported goods.
American Colonist's Perspective
The American colonists were under British control for one hundred and fifty years. The colonists' frustration with the tax policies that the British created and enforced started when the British enforced the Sugar Act.
Over the next thirteen years, their frustration with the various taxes accumulated and eventually got to be too much to handle. "The Tea Act was the final straw in a series of unpopular policies and taxes imposed by Britain on her American colonies" ("The Tea Act:," 2013). Although about a quarter of the colonists were still loyal to the king, "The policy ignited a 'powder keg' of opposition and resentment among American colonists and was the catalyst of The Boston Tea Party" ("The Tea Act:," 2013).
After the display of rebellion during the Boston Tea Party, the colonists' frustration escalated into the Revolutionary War. This later gained the American colonists their independence from Britain.
Over the next thirteen years, their frustration with the various taxes accumulated and eventually got to be too much to handle. "The Tea Act was the final straw in a series of unpopular policies and taxes imposed by Britain on her American colonies" ("The Tea Act:," 2013). Although about a quarter of the colonists were still loyal to the king, "The policy ignited a 'powder keg' of opposition and resentment among American colonists and was the catalyst of The Boston Tea Party" ("The Tea Act:," 2013).
After the display of rebellion during the Boston Tea Party, the colonists' frustration escalated into the Revolutionary War. This later gained the American colonists their independence from Britain.
My Perspective
Growing up in the United States of America, I am grateful for the soldiers that fought for our freedom from Britain. Throughout my research on the Boston Tea Party, I have realized that The British were very comfortable and did not think that they had to worry about the American colonists ever turning on them. Once they started taxing them and realized that they were making the American colonists angry, they should have tried to negotiate with the American colonists. If the British and the American colonists had this great, trustworthy and loyal relationship over one hundred and fifty years, shouldn't they have tried to work out their problems early on before they started to force taxes on the American colonists? The Boston Tea Party is so historically important because it led to the Revolutionary War which then gave America its freedom from Britain as a whole.
Images
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HTTP://TODDLOHENRY.COM/2012/12/16/AMERICAN-MINUTE-FOR-DECEMBER-16TH-THE-BOSTON-TEA-PARTY/