this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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[–] vvilld@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It wasn't even that they wanted to pay higher taxes. The Stamp and Tea Acts actually LOWERED the taxes. But it was incredibly easy to get around paying the taxes previously. So what Parliament did was say, "guys, you have to actually start paying the taxes, but we'll make them lower as a compromise."

That's why the American elites revolted.

[–] xor@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

it might just be incredibly more complicated than that.

[–] vvilld@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It might have been, but it really wasn't.

[–] xor@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 days ago
[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 21 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Americans didn't, the American elites did. Americans just died in yet another war started by the aristocracy.

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Except that's not 100% correct.

Sure the American Elite joined in, well, some of them did. Mostly it was revolution driven by the middle class. Maybe the upper middle class, but the stamp and tea taxes were incredibly unpopular.

I'd imagine the sentiment among the poorer people was something along the lines of "better to be lorded over by a local asshole, than one half the world away".

Also, the quartering bullshit. That was just as unpopular, so much so that we have an entire amendment banning it specifically.

[–] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Middle class as in bourgeoisie?

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago

Tradesmen and Merchants.

The layer under the actual elite of the time.

[–] MortUS@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

To get out from under The British Empire, which is pretty understandable during the time period.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Not very understandable. Britain had become a new and particularly liberal democracy by this point. The colonists were paying much less tax than their cousins back home, and “The Empire” didn’t really get started until after the Americans had revolted anyway.

[–] MortUS@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

All of this is bullshit.

What made them "particularly liberal"? They were exporting their "prisoners" to the American colonies. They were still colonizing other territories, extending their reach. They were still selling African slaves via slave trade through The East India Trading Company. The Empire was in full swing by the 1600s, through the 1700s, well into the 1800s where they started to lose steam through the century.

[–] ohulancutash@feddit.uk 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It was almost the only place in the world with a free press in the 18th century, and even enjoyed a healthy satire industry. Religious freedom was effectively the rule, and there was no lese majesty law that was effectively enforced.

The Empire didn’t “lose steam” in the 19th century. That was where it went into overdrive with rapid expansion, the biggest addition being India in the 1850s. It was only in the 1920s when it peaked.

[–] toastmeister@lemmy.ca 12 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

The US has never had free trade, look at the patent system they force other countries to abide by, whose length and terms are dictated by the US.

This is just a continuation of the same. Apple even had a patent on rounded corners on rectangles.

[–] MrBananaGrabber@lemmy.today 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I reworded my response to this four times, but settled on this.

I guess this insane turn to fascism and cutting off all economic ties to the world might seem like a “normal progression” but I wouldn’t call swerving into oncoming traffic a normal progression. (He’s here we are I guess)

[–] toastmeister@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

China produces the bulk of rare earths the US uses for things like military production, which puts the US as dependent on China as Canada is dependent on the US. The reality is absurd no matter which way things go.

Europe is doing carbon border adjustments to attempt to do something similar if I'm not mistaken, though its still early stages.

[–] pineapplelover@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

Bruh how you gone patent a shape

[–] AidsKitty@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Pretty sure it was the whole no taxation without representation thing that spurred that revolt

[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

When the executive is acting outside of their authority and ignoring the legislative and judicial branches, do we really have a representative democracy anymore?

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[–] Death_Equity@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Naw, it was the Iron Act restricting the right to bear shovels.

[–] Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz 4 points 6 days ago

But tea costs not much more now. Let’s get back when it’s more considerable expensive.

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