<P> Opposition to the Stamp Act was not limited to the colonies . British merchants and manufacturers, whose exports to the colonies were threatened by colonial boycotts, pressured Parliament . The Act was repealed on 18 March 1766 as a matter of expedience, but Parliament affirmed its power to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" by also passing the Declaratory Act . There followed a series of new taxes and regulations, likewise opposed by the colonists . </P> <P> The episode played a major role in defining the grievances that were clearly stated within the text of the Indictment of George III section of the Declaration of Independence, and enabling the organized colonial resistance that led to the American Revolution in 1775 . </P> <P> The British victory in the Seven Years' War (1756--1763), known in America as the French and Indian War, had been won only at a great financial cost . During the war, the British national debt nearly doubled, rising from £ 72,289,673 in 1755 to almost £ 129,586,789 by 1764 . Post-war expenses were expected to remain high because the Bute ministry decided in early 1763 to keep ten thousand British regular soldiers in the American colonies, which would cost about £ 225,000 per year, equal to £ 30 million today . The primary reason for retaining such a large force was that demobilizing the army would put 1,500 officers out of work, many of whom were well - connected in Parliament . This made it politically prudent to retain a large peacetime establishment, but Britons were averse to maintaining a standing army at home so it was necessary to garrison most of the troops elsewhere . </P> <P> Stationing 10,000 troops to separate American Indians and frontiersmen was one role . The outbreak of Pontiac's Rebellion in May 1763 apparently reinforced the logic of this decision, as it was an American Indian uprising against the British expansion . The main reason to send 10,000 troops deep into the wilderness was to provide billets for the officers who were part of the British patronage system . John Adams said, "Revenue is still demanded from America, and appropriated to the maintenance of swarms of officers and pensioners in idleness and luxury ." </P>

What was the goal of the sugar act of 1764 and the stamp act of 1765