Were the colonists justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain
...tten by Thomas Whately regarding the English and their reasons for taxation; “We are not yet recovered from a War undertaken solely for their [the Americans’] Protection…they should contribute to the Preservation of the Advantages they have received.” These advantages include the ability to trade, primarily independently and a lot of freedom available in the ports. George Gremville, a financial expert and prime minister to England discovered in 1764 that the American customs service was losing money as a result of colonists smuggling goods into the country without paying duties. These duties were developed as a way to aid the American’s trade, not to cheat them out of their sales. Many of the acts, were entirely just and when the colonists disagreed with a minor detail of it, they became rebellious and spiteful over minute details, The Sugar Act halved the duties on molasses so that the colonists wouldn’t try to smuggle and would just pay the taxes. It also placed duties on certain imports that hadn’t been taxed before in order to benefit them in trade.(p.47) The sugar act was not the only Act that was hevily objected by the colonists. The stamp act was also greatly resisted because they felt that “parliament had no right to tax the colonists” (p.47, The Americans) The colonists were being ignorant in that they paid no attention the serious debts England faced as a result of war. And this i...