Money,money,money

[Sherryd]

Reform in the British Empire included reorganizing governments of the territories that had been gained from France and Spain after the Seven Years’ War. Also, colonial governments had to be structured, and help had to be given to problems with Indian trade, land claims, and “something had do be done to keep the conflicts between land-hungry white settlers and angry Native Americans from exploding into open warfare” (pg. 17).Therefore, they had to keep a standing Army in America to keep peace and protect the colonists. The cost of these solutions, as well as the war debt already acquired, were overwhelming. England had to find a way to raise money and decided to put into place various acts, such as the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and the Townshend Act. These placed taxes only on items sold in the colonies for the first time in history. This outraged the colonist. Also, the changes the George III made to the government annoyed many people in England. This caused rioting like never before because it was “directed toward the whole political system” (pg. 21). John Wilkes wrote against the king in his newspaper and became a hero both in England and the colonies. All of these things, as well as political confusion in England, paved the road to the revolution.

[nicolesmith]

The reorganization of territory that was acquired from France and Spain caused many problems, which led to the Revolution. They had to form new governments, and Indian trade had to be regulated. There was also the issue of land claims to be sorted out, and immediate action had to be taken to help keep war from breaking out between the land hungry white people and the angry Native Americans. (17) Also pressing was that the British government was in shambles and utter disarray.