The British turned to taxing the American colonies because __________________.
a.
they had incurred a huge debt from the French & Indian War
c.
they had learned of plans of revolt by the colonists
b.
they were angry with the colonists for siding with the French
d.
they owed money to the French
A?
Right.
To find the answer to this question, we can analyze the given options and eliminate incorrect ones.
Option c, "they had learned of plans of revolt by the colonists," is not a valid reason because the British introduced taxes before any significant plans of revolt became known.
Option d, "they owed money to the French," is also incorrect because the British did not tax the American colonies due to their debt to the French.
Option b, "they were angry with the colonists for siding with the French," is not a correct reason either. While the British did have conflicts with the French, the decision to tax the American colonies was not solely based on their relationship with the French.
This leaves us with option a, "they had incurred a huge debt from the French & Indian War." This is the correct answer. The British government had accumulated a significant debt from the French and Indian War fought on American soil, and they looked toward taxing the American colonies as a means to pay off that debt.