The colonists boycotted, protested and even rioted over the new laws. So when the British government began passing laws that seemed to serve its own interests rather than that of its people, it was met with much disapproval in the colonies. The colonists believed governments existed to serve and protect the rights and interests of its people, not to serve and protects its own interests. The new taxes were met with a lot of resistance from the colonists because they felt the government didn’t have the right to tax them if they didn’t have representation in Parliament and feared that the new laws were just the beginning of even more infringements on their rights.
The American Revolution began after Great Britain passed a series of new taxes designed to generate revenue from the colonies in 1763 to help pay off its war debt. The 13 Colonies During the Revolutionary War:
The policy of Salutary Neglect was in place for many decades, from the early to mid 1700s, until the end of the French and Indian War when the British government found itself in desperate need of funds to pay off the war debt and to cover the cost of the large number of troops it had sent to North America to protect the new land it had won. It was during this period of salutary neglect that the colonies learned to self-govern which helped the colonists develop their sense of independence and self-sufficiency. This was due to what is now known as the policy of Salutary Neglect, which was based on the premise that if the colonies were left alone, they would flourish and Great Britain would reap the benefits in increased trade, tax revenue and profits. Yet, despite the fact that many of the colonies were royal colonies, for a period of time prior to the American Revolution, the thirteen colonies had been allowed to self-govern. The original charter colonies of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island eventually had their charters revoked in the 17th century and were taken over by the British government upon which they became royal colonies with royal governments, much to the colonist’s dismay. The thirteen colonies (shown in red) in 1775. The proprietary colonies were: Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
The proprietor was given full governing rights.
Proprietary colonies had charters that granted ownership of the colony to one person or a family. The charter colonies were: Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay Colony and Rhode Island. The business owner created the laws but they were required to base their laws on English law at the time. The royal colonies were: New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.Ĭharter colonies were granted to businesses.
Royal colonies were governed directly by the British government through a royal governor appointed by the Crown. Three types of governments existed in the colonies prior to the American Revolution: royal, charter and proprietary. Province of Georgia The 13 Colonies Before the Revolutionary War:
The 13 colonies during the Revolutionary War-era were:Ĭolony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations The colonies were established to harvest raw materials, such as lumber, fur and fish, necessary for Britain’s growing empire. The 13 colonies were established in North America by Great Britain during the 17th century. The 13 colonies were one of the many nations who fought in the Revolutionary War in the late 18th century.