The Parliamentary Act: The Mother Country Of Great Britain

"The British had the right to tax the colonists because the French and Indian War happend in the colonies." was one of the arguements propsed at a debate I had in class once. That might have been true if the colonists had representation in the Parliment because they would have some say in what the taxes should be. Since they weren't represented, then the taxation was not fair. Another point that came up in that debate is the quartering act that the British had placed on the colonists. Some of the class mates said that it didn't matter if Britain wasn't at war because they need to be ready and have places to stay if they did go to war. A friend of mine said that our country couldn't survive, that's why the British came back in 1812 and declared war on the US.

Before the founding fathers decided to rebel against the British Government a few things happened. New taxes were a major issue for the colonist. Britain was in debt after fighting the French and Indian war and King George III and Parliament wanted the colonist to pay. They raised taxes on sugar, trade, tea, and legal documents. This wasn't fair to the colonist. The colonist resisted paying the taxes. They were upset because they

Many colonists were angered because of high taxes England chose to enforce on them. These taxes were a result of the British participation and victory in the French and Indian war. However, what made the colonists even more angry was the fact that they were being taxed without representation in England’s Parliament. The colonists thought that, in order to be taxed by the British, they should have representation in it. They saw it as unfair to be taxed by a government they had no say in. As Patrick Henry said in his speech made to the Virginia House of Burgesses, “We can under law be taxed only by our own representatives...The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it…” (Doc. 1). Since many colonists thought this taxation broke the law, some of them chose to protest by going to the House of Burgesses, boycotting imports, or simply not paying it in response. This response is justified; if

When the Founding Fathers resisted these taxes on principle that Parliament did not have the authority to tax the colonists, Britain attacked and minimized colonial self-rule , declared colonists subject to any act of Parliament , reestablished internal taxes , closed colonial ports, dissolved

“No Taxation without Representation” cried colonists all over the 13 colonies in the 1760s. Many of whom who only saw the taxes as a dent in their income rather than a necessity for a nation to survive. In the pamphlet (“Considerations…” by Thomas Whately), the author who is an advisor to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer references to the French and Indian war and states “We are not yet received from a war undertaken solely for their Protection ( the colonies)...”. Evidently wars depend upon tremendous amounts of money win or lose, fortunately with the support of its mother country, the colonies prevailed and won the French and Indian war. In order to replenish its

They thought that there was not good enough reason for the new taxes. England on the other hand stated that they taxed the colonist more because they were nearly bankrupt after the French and Indian War. That felt someone had to help compensate and since the American colonies benefited more. They need to bear most of the cost for England’s’ protection and administration. (Pg.536). Between 1763 and 1774, the government passed a new series of laws; placing the colonies under strict restrictions and making them pay higher taxes.

The colonists strongly desired independence and separation from Britain once taxation without representation was imposed on them. The colonies struggled to earn their representation in the Parliament of their mother country. They were turned down repeatedly and this caused huge issues for the colonists; it was the complete reason for the Revolutionary War. Therefore, the demand for no taxation without representation was the primary force to motivate America against Britain and it was also a symbol for democracy.

James Otis mentions “No part of His Majesty’s dominions can be taxed without their consent… this would seem to [contradict] the theory of the constitution” which explains that the governed must have a say in what they will be taxed on and if not, the British Parliament is par taking in illegal actions. With no representation in Parliament, American colonists who felt the taxes to be a little excessive had no other option other than civil disobedience to rebel. It is safe to to say that the colonists had every right to rebel against the British.

The colonists didn’t like taxation without representation because it meant they couldn’t vote on laws. King George III taxed thing like sugar and paper on the colonies. So if they didn’t follow the rules the British army would arrest them. The king also ignored letters sent to him to restore rights. The British king and army were very violent in the colonies.

“No taxation without representation” was a slogan that the colonists used to oppress the British because they were not allowed to be represented. Evidence in the textbook states “Many believed that Great Britain had no right to tax the colonies at all without their consent.” and also “take from any man any part of his property, without his consent in person or by representation.” This means that colonists

Three of these reasons include the French and Indian War and the after-effects, the Proclamation of 1763, and all of the taxes that were made during this time. According to Source 1G, “The war was expensive for the British government to fight. In order to pay for it, they issued taxes on the colonies. The colonies, however, felt that they should not be taxed unless they had representation in the British government.” These conflicting opinions led to an argument evidently.

for the Boston Tea Party, was the Boston Massacre which began as a small quarrel

Consequently, the British Parliament imposed taxation on the colonists in the 1760’s. The colonists resented this intrusion, for they felt they were not truly represented in the British government. Taxation without representation became the rallying cry of the colonists.

Why weren’t the thirteen colonies willing to abide by England’s laws? While some people were horrified with the Stamp Act, others were completely accepting of this new act. Janis Herbert stated in her book, The American Revolution for Kids, that after the French and Indian War, England had many debts, which obviously needed to be paid (3). England’s Parliament decided the American colonists needed to pay their debts for them. England went about this matter by raising taxes and requiring a stamp for fifty different documents (Gale Encyclopedia Par. 2). Since America was not yet a country, and had no representation, they were trapped with the laws Parliament passed. Even though England was trying to pay off their debts from the French & Indian War, they went about it the wrong way, because they expected the American colonists to pay by increased tax dollars. This is an example of taxation without representation, because the American colonists didn't have representatives, or the opportunity to vote.

The British had control of the thirteen colonies for many years prior to the French and Indian War. After the war Britain took sole possession of the thirteen colonies. The French and Indian War had put Britain in debt so they began taxing the colonists. Britain also began to enforce laws made by the King of England. This led to the phrase "no taxation without representation". The colonists had no other choices but to try and settle their differences with Britain or attempt to break away.