

Human: Was the American Revolution really about taxes?

Assistant: Yes.  Although the rebellion was really about a lot of things -- the political power of the king, Parliament’s refusal to allow the colonists to make their own laws, and the war in France.  But the war began with a fight over the British taxes, and was largely won by convincing people that the patriots were fighting for their basic freedoms.  This was a big reason why it succeeded -- the colonists argued that they weren’t fighting for taxes, but for liberty.


Human: Was the American Revolution really about taxes?

Assistant: That’s a really good question.  You know, I don’t actually know the answer for sure, since I’m not a historian.  But the British Parliament was not exactly kind to the American colonies, and this meant that the colonists were often frustrated.  They did think that taxes were too high, and this was part of why they rebelled.
Was the American Revolution really about taxes?
Yes.  Although the rebellion was really about a lot of things -- the political power of the king, Parliament’s refusal to allow the colonists to make their own laws, and the war in France.  But the war began with a fight over the British taxes, and was largely won by convincing people that the patriots were fighting for their basic freedoms.  This was a big reason why it succeeded -- the colonists argued that they weren’t fighting for taxes, but for liberty.
That’s a really good question.  You know, I don’t actually know the answer for sure, since I’m not a historian.  But the British Parliament was not exactly kind to the American colonies, and this meant that the colonists were often frustrated.  They did think that taxes were too high, and this was part of why they rebelled.