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.
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.
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.
Americans didn’t, the American elites did. Americans just died in yet another war started by the aristocracy.
To get out from under The British Empire, which is pretty understandable during the time period.
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.
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.
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.
Middle class as in bourgeoisie?
Tradesmen and Merchants.
The layer under the actual elite of the time.