I understand the American Revolution, but how exactly did the British physically extract money from the colonies? Did they send a ship over on some regular schedule and have tax collectors run around collecting cash? Did a lot of money get lost on the way over because of sunken ships, theft, etc?
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The most important thing to remember is that the colonists were British. Paul Revere did not shout “the British are coming” because he was British and so was everyone he was shouting to. He shouted “the Regulars are coming”.
So the colonists as British people paid their taxes. All of the governments in the colonies were British. The colonies had extensive regular trade with England. The tax money was sent back regularly.
The British crown appointed loyalists that lived in the colonies as governors. These appointees would then hire individuals to collect taxes imposed by the aristocracy. Taxes collected were then shipped by boat.
Sons of Liberty is a mini series that follows the founding fathers of the US. It takes place in Boston and covers the series of events that lead to revolution. I’m not sure how factual the show was. But it can paint you a picture of what British oppression might have resembled.
The colonies were administered by British officials so the Mayor or equivalent of each town or city appointed tax collectors, most of the money was reinvested in the colony so little actually returned to Britain and the taxes were fairly low anyway. The surplus was then shipped to Britain sometimes this wasn’t money but trade goods instead to the value of the taxes, so shipping cotton, sugar, rum etc.
British tax collectors lived in the colonies and collected taxes. Tax shipments were consolidated and shipped back on the ships of the Royal Navy. Certainly some was lost, but stealing from what was close to the best Navy in the world at the time is not for the average pirate.
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