Existing comment:
Causes of the Revolution
After 1763, Great Britain underestimated the economic and political maturity of the Americans. Those colonists did not care to give up the high standard of living they enjoyed.
To help fund the expense of defending America, Great Britain passed the Stamp Act (1765), which taxed paper, and the Townshend Act (1767), which taxed imports, tea, and glass. Colonists responded by boycotting British merchandise and dumping tea into Boston Harbor (the "Boston Tea Party"). They argued that taxes could not be levied on them by a Parliament in London in which they had no representation. |