Question: why did the new united states have trouble paying its war debts

title: Financial costs of the American Revolutionary War
text: The economic warfare between Great Britain and the colonists began well before the colonies declared their independence in 1776 . Regulations from the crown were met with fierce opposition from the colonists . After lobbies and petitions proved ineffective , the colonists turned to boycotting imported English goods . Boycotting proved to be successful in crippling British trade . After the first colonial boycott in 1765 , Parliament overturned the Sugar and Stamp Acts , and after a second boycott in 1768 Parliament overturned all of the Townshend duties except for the tax on tea . The colonists persisted , and the American boycott on tea ultimately culminated in the Boston Tea Party of 1773 . Despite the Revolution 's widespread association with the colonists ' aversion to higher taxes , it has been claimed that the colonists actually paid far less tax compared to their British counterparts .