Final answer:
To resolve its war debts from the French and Indian War, the British Parliament enacted laws like the Sugar Act and Currency Act, imposing taxes and regulating trade to raise revenue from the American colonies, which contributed to colonial discontent and the push for independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
To pay its large war debts from the French and Indian War, the British government and Parliament implemented several measures aimed at increasing revenue from the North American colonies. The size of the British national debt had nearly doubled as a result of the war, escalating from £75 million in 1756 to £133 million by 1763, with interest payments consuming a considerable portion of the budget. To address this crisis, the Parliament passed a series of acts including the Sugar Act and the Currency Act, which imposed direct taxes and required colonists to use gold and silver in transactions with British merchants, as well as trying suspected smugglers in vice-admiralty courts without jury trials.
Additionally, the Proclamation Line of 1763 was established in part to minimize the administrative costs by prohibiting colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. These policies were enacted not only to replenish the British Empire's coffers but also to help maintain the troops left in North America for colonial protection. Such measures, however, deeply angered the American colonists and gradually pushed many towards the idea of separation from the British Empire.