The British began directly taxing the American colonies to repay the debt of the Seven Years' War. This allowed Parliament to earn money from the American colonies to repay the war debt and take control of trade, to the benefit of the English. As for the colonists, this proved to be unreasonable due to the fact that the English taxed the colonists due to British extracurricular activities, such as the Seven Years' War. This upset the colonists greatly, but made Parliament feel more comfortable earning money to pay off debts and profit from colonial activities.