Why did America declare war on Britain because they taxed tea - after all the Seppos only drink coffee?

Answer 1

On the drinking of tea -- the American colonists at that time DID drink a fair amount of tea.

As for "declaring war" --
The Boston Tea Party was not quite a "declaration of war". In fact, it took place in December of 1773, 16 months before the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

It is true that in the year following the Boston Tea Party the colonies made various preparations for possible war (part of what caused the British to eventually move against them).

Why did they do so? Something the British Parliament called "the Coercive Acts" (the colonists called them "the Intolerable Acts"), that BEGAN by closing Boston Harbor and making various officials directly answerable to the Crown which never had been before.

In the view of the colonists these actions (as well as the various taxes preceding them) violated their rights as Englishmen under their colonial charters and British constitution

Their official reponse and explanation of these grievances is found in the "Declaration and Resolves" of the First Continental Congress (October 14, 1774). Read it at:
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/resolves.htm

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I know that can be a bit heavy to plow through, so here's a chronology --thanks to "the History Place"-- of these Acts (March to June 1774), various other official actions and the colonial response preceding the Declaration mentioned above.

March 31, 1774 - The Boston Port Bill effectively shuts down all commercial shipping in Boston harbor until Massachusetts pays the taxes owed on the tea dumped in the harbor and also reimburses the East India Company for the loss of the tea.

May 12, Bostonians at a town meeting call for a boycott of British imports in response to the Boston Port Bill.

May 13, General Thomas Gage, commander of all British military forces in the colonies, arrives in Boston and replaces Hutchinson as Royal governor, putting Massachusetts under military rule. He is followed by the arrival of four regiments of British troops.

May 17-23, colonists in Providence, New York and Philadelphia begin calling for an intercolonial congress to overcome the Coercive Acts and discuss a common course of action against the British.

May 20
**Massachusetts Regulating Act and the Government Act virtually ends any self-rule by the colonists there. Instead, the English Crown and the Royal governor assume political power formerly exercised by colonists.

**the Administration of Justice Act which protects royal officials in Massachusetts from being sued in colonial courts,

June 2 - the Quebec Act establishing a centralized government in Canada controlled by the Crown and English Parliament. The Quebec Act greatly upsets American colonists by extending the southern boundary of Canada into territories claimed by Massachusetts, Connecticut and Virginia.

June 22 -new version of the 1765 Quartering Act is enacted by the English Parliament requiring all of the American colonies to provide housing for British troops in occupied houses and taverns and in unoccupied buildings.

September - Massachusetts Governor Gage seizes that colony's arsenal of weapons at Charlestown.

September 5 to October 26, the First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia with 56 delegates, representing every colony, except Georgia.

September 17, the Congress declares its opposition to the Coercive Acts, saying they are "not to be obeyed," and also promotes the formation of local militia units.
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/rev-prel.htm

(some details from http://www.ushistory.org/march/timeline.htm)

Answer 2

The tax on tea was a minor irritant among many reasons for the revolution. The point that inflamed the colonists was the fact that they had no say whatever in their own taxation. Taxes were passed by Parliament, and the colonies had no voice in that process.
Actually there was never a formal declaration of war against Britain... the situation escalated from civil disobedience to open rebellion without that legalism. The Declaration of Independence was a statement of principle justifying resistance to tyranny. Nobody actually said "A state of war exists....." - it just happened.

Answer 3

In May 1773, Prime Minister North and the British parliament passed the Tea Act. The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonists, bypassing the colonial wholesale merchants. This allowed the company to sell their tea cheaper than the colonial merchants who were selling smuggled tea from Holland.
At that time, America was a British colony. America was mainly the New England Colonies. The colonies once again demanded that the British government remove the tax on tea. In addition, the dockworkers began refusing to unload the tea from ships. The Governor of Massachusetts demanded that the tea be unloaded. He also demanded that the people pay the taxes and duty on tea.
On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of men calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" went to the Boston Harbor dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three British ships, the Beaver, the Eleanor and the Dartmouth, and dumped forty-five tons of tea into the Boston Harbor.
The British passed laws that were in the best interest of England, not the colonies. For example, they passed the Navigation Act which restricted colonists from competing with British businesses. They also prevented colonists from selling their goods to countries other than Britain, even if the country was willing to pay a higher price than the British. Britain made it difficult for the colonies to trade with the French and the Spanish.
While the British continued to enforce their control of the colonies, they refused to allow the colonies government representation in England. The British believed that their own appointed government officials adequately represented the colonies.
The colonies resented British control. The colonies created their own laws, and ignored the British laws they did not like. This created considerable tension between Britain and the colonies.
To answer your question, the British were the ones who first declared war on the colonies. The colonies were able to galvanize a national resistance which resulted in Americas Independence in 1776.
Boaz.

Answer 4

Okay, so from the other answers, you know the problem was that the Americans wanted their views heard ('no taxation without representation').

The interesting thing I discovered is that the tea that was taxed was cheaper than the tea they grew at home, which wasn't!!! This (I suppose) shows that it was the principle that was important. It probably also explains why they drink coffee over there, rather than tea (coffee was cheaper).

Another useless piece of information is that George III wrote that nothing of note occurred in his diary on July 4th 1776, (okay, so there was no way he could have found out what was happening on the other side of the world!)

Answer 5

They drank tea--many of them started drinking coffee as a protest against the tax. Of course, that wasn't the only protest. One time my parents went to England. My mother had some tea there, and asked why we couldn't get tea that tasted that good here. The waitress snorted and said, "The last time we sent some, you threw it in the harbor!"

Answer 6

Boston is a perfect mixture of colonial history and cutting-edge innovation. From the charming cobblestones of Beacon Hill and progressive landmarks of the Freedom Trail, to the famous grounds of Harvard University and Fenway Park, Boston is really a prize chest of Americana and with hotelbye you can have the chance to know this treasure. Boston is known it while the "support of liberty" and Faneuil Hall is one of many areas must-see similar to the adjacent Faneuil Hall Marketplace, a place that includes three extended halls: Quincy Industry, North Market, and South Market. , Faneuil Hall Marketplace is dating from early 19th century and is currently entertained with a vibrant range of stores, restaurants, and exhibitions. In good climate, you will discover block artists and buskers wearing reveals in the square across the market.

Answer 7

America didn't declare war on Britain. America rebeled and then declared its independence from Britain.

Answer 8

It was a matter of principle.

The rallying cry became,

"No taxation without representation!"

The American colonists resented paying taxes to the British government, when the had no representatives there to plead their cause, or to regulate their taxes,

Answer 9

It was the tax, not the beverage, that got them all excited. Although too much caffeine is as good an explanation as any.

Answer 10

right