What Led to the Original Boston Tea Party?
Victory in the French and Indian War was costly for the British. At the war’s conclusion in 1763, King George III and his government looked to taxing the American colonies as a way of recouping their war costs. They were also looking for ways to reestablish control over the colonial governments that had become increasingly independent while the Crown was distracted by the war. Royal ineptitude compounded the problem. A series of actions including the Stamp Act (1765), the Townsend Acts (1767) and the Boston Massacre (1770) agitated the colonists, straining relations with the mother country. But it was the Crown’s attempt to tax tea that spurred the colonists to action and laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.
Why Should You Care Now About Taxes?
Taxes are a huge financial burden on its citizenry. Not only do we pay federal income tax, but we pay state income tax, state sales tax (in most states), state business tax, local business tax, local sales tax, taxes on gas, taxes on trash, taxes on whatever you can think of! Rates have gone from modest to the exorbitant.
As our government get larger and larger, more wasteful and inefficient, they demand more and more taxes to operate. Over the past few decades, government has grown to an unprecedented size, thus demanding more from its citizenry. Who’s to blame for their size? We are. We elected those officials that run government, and we voted for legislation that expanded their powers.
Well, as President Obama best put it, it’s time for a change! These taxes have gotten out of control, and we’re not going to take it anymore! Do you part and take action by making your statement to your public officials.
