Which was a major grievance of the colonists against Great Britain?

Answer 1

Basically, the colonists felt that their rights as free British citizens were being taken away.

Colonists had been living in America and largely governing themselves for 150 years and were satisfied with British rule.

About 1760 the British were fighting the French for control of Canada and the territory west of the Appalachian Mountains. The French were urging Indians to fight the colonists. The British formed an army of colonists to help in the defense. They and the British defeated the French.

The trouble started when the British decided that the Americans should be taxed to help pay for the war. The taxes were much less than Americans pay today, but the Americans felt that they were being treated as foreigners because they had no members in the British parliament. Their motto became "No taxation without representation."

One early incident was the "Boston Tea Party". A group of Americans, dressed as Indians, boarded a ship from England loaded with taxed tea and threw it all into the harbor.

While the Americans pleaded for years with the British government and people, the British kept sending troops, including German mercenaries, forced the colonists to keep the soldiers in their homes, and tried to destroy the Americans' arms and ammunition. Armed incidents kept increasing. American men, trained by the British, were ready to form their own army.

As listed in the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), the British king, George III, was crippling the American governments, inciting Indian attacks against colonists, burning towns, taking British soldiers who committed crimes safely home to England, and sending more and more troops and mercenaries.

The Declaration basically said that it appeared that he wanted to enslave us, and that if we were going to be treated like enemies and not like free British citizens, then we would quit being British citizens.

"We ... declare that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states."

Answer 2

The colonists saw their rights as British subjects violated and grossly, the King sent Royal Governors to rule the colonies and he listened to the King, even if it took days for word to get to him what the King wanted him to do. Also, the powers of the legislatures was curtailed. The British also quartered soldiers among the Colonists and garrisoned troops among them. This was a sort of occupation, you could say. The tea tax was big because everybody drank tea and everybody had to pay taxes when they bought tea, yet the colonist felt they were being taxed without having representation, hence the slogan, No Taxation without Representation. The Colonists didn't think the Parliament in London represented them and their own legislatures weren't representing them, the Royal Governors ruled them in the name of the King and in in the interests of the King.

Answer 3

Taxation without representation was the major grievance the colonists had against England (not yet called 'Great Britain'). The tax on tea was especially annoying. Colonists, having been British themselves, liked drinking their tea! The Boston Tea was a revolt against additional taxes imposed on tea. But leveling other taxes were endless, such as the Stamp Tax.

Answer 4

Taxes were raised by the British, and the colonists increasingly didn't like being controlled by a country that was thousands of miles away and at odds with the goals of the colonists.

Answer 5

They hated that the British placed many, many unfair taxes, laws and acts upon them

Answer 6

A major colonist grievance was imposition of taxes without Parliament representation.

Answer 7

One complaint was "Taxation without representation". The colonists did not have any voting members of Parliament yet Parliament imposed taxes on the colonies.

Answer 8

the gerbil got annoyed

Answer 9

just because ya know?