The Beginning

For a short,concise read on how economic considerations fueled the American Revolution, check out the Tax History Museum and click on the 1756 - 1776 section of the logo.

We'd all like to think that only the highest moral and philosophical motives were involved in the founding of our Republic, but that always isn't so. The Declaration of Independence celebrates individual rights and there is nothing as individual and personal as how a person spends his hard earned money without the government grabbing a fistful every chance it can. You want to motivate someone? Mess with his living.

The Stamp Tax was the first tax in colonial history paid directly to England. Prior to that, all taxes were imposed by the colonies' own legislatures. For an idea on the ways that some colonies imposed taxes, look at Virgina. You could be forced to do manual labor on roads and since money was scarce, you had to pay your taxes in tabacco.

The Brits were primarily interested in raising tax revenues to pay down their debt to foreign banks incurred during the French and Indian War. The Brits believed that the colonies did not pay their fair share of the war and were determined to ease some of the tax burden imposed on English subjects.

Perhaps the American Revolution was the Law Of Unintended Consequences in action.