The Townshend Acts

Three years later more duties were imposed on the colonies through the Townshend Acts, which placed taxes on lead glass, paper, and tea. It reorganized the American Customs Service, which enforced the Navigation Act, the Sugar Act, and now the Townshend Acts. The Americans responded to this in many ways, but primarily by boycotting all British goods and by implementing a non-importation agreement. After losing much money, the British decided to repeal the Townshend duties and others, except

Parliament imposed the Townshend Act, which raised taxes on imported goods. According to John Dickinson, Parliament was justified in imposing the Stamp Act on the colonies. “Never did the British parliament, [until the passage of the Stamp Act] think of imposing duties in America for the purpose of raising a revenue” (Doc2).

The townshend act was taxation without representation. The British placed a tax on glass, paint, paper, and tea, all items imported from Britain. Patriots took matter into their own hands and boycotted

Desperately for finding a solution to pay off the debt of the war, the British government signed the Townshend duties of 1767, formulated by Charles Townshend, chancellor of the Exchequer. The Townshend duties were new taxes for the American colonies pay on imported products: glass, paper, lead, and tea. Charles Townshend persuaded the British authorities signed the import items with the intention of not only pay the war’s bills, but also increase the British revenue and take back the Parliament’s authority over the American colonies.

After about 4 years the Townshend acts were passed. The Townshend acts were originated by Charles Townshend. They were meant to add even more taxes on all imported goods, which makes everything almost double the original price. Great Britain needed to pass this act because they still had so much of the debt to pay ofF. This was a huge financial burden for the colonists. There were many violent protests.This act eventually led to the Boston tea

Beginning in 1764, Great Britain began passing acts to exert greater control over the American colonies. The Sugar Act was passed to increase duties on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. A Currency Act was also passed to ban the colonies from issuing paper bills or bills of credit because of the belief that the colonial currency had devalued the British money. Further, in order to continue to support the British soldiers left in America after the war, Great Britain passed the Quartering Act in 1765. This ordered colonists to house and feed British soldiers if there was not enough room for them in the colonist’s homes. An important piece of legislation that really upset the colonists was the Stamp Act passed in 1765. This required stamps to be purchased or included on many different items and documents such as playing cards, legal papers, newspapers, and more. This was the first direct tax that Britain had imposed on the colonists. Events began to escalate with passage of the Townshend Acts in 1767. These taxes were created to help colonial officials become independent of the colonists by providing them with a source of income. This act led to clashes between British troops and colonists, causing the infamous Boston Massacre. These unjust requests and increasing tensions all led up to the colonist’s declaration as well as the Revolutionary War.

The Townshend Acts of 1767 were also a critical reason for the colonial actions taken during the Imperial Crisis. These acts placed taxes on goods imported into North America, once again resulting in a boycott. These boycotts caused the colonists to rely on American made goods rather than foreign, allowing the colonists to experience the possibilities of self-sufficiency and furthering the distaste for British rule. The Townshend Acts led to the Boston Massacre of 1770, as British troops fired into a crowd of rioting Bostonians. This event increased the tensions between the colonists and British. After the Townshend Acts were repealed, the Tea Act was enforced, requiring the colonists to pay a tax for tea. This tax was rejected in the colonies because the colonies believed that recognizing the tax would be recognizing Parliament’s authority to tax unlawfully, without consent and representation. The colonists refused the act by dumping imported tea into the Boston Harbor. This infuriated the British, who then implemented the Intolerable Acts. These acts required colonists to house British soldiers in their homes without consent, restricted the colonists’ right to assemble, and allowed governors to appoint councilmen without election. The colonists viewed these acts as major threats to their freedom and further fueled conflict in the Americas.

England passed a series tax laws and demanded the colonists pay back the debt. In 1764, the Sugar Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain, reducing smuggling yet increasing the cost of imported goods in the American colonies and decreasing exportation to non-British markets. The Currency Act of 1764 did not forbid colonies from releasing paper money, yet it did ban paper money from being used to pay of private or public debts. In 1765, the Stamp Act was established in order to raise revenue from the American colonies by taxing stamps which were required on all legal or commercial documents, newspapers, licenses, and diplomas. Great Britain benefited from the passing of the Stamp Act which enriched their economy. The colonists, however, believed that the Act was taxation without representation and the power to tax is the power to destroy. In 1767, a series of laws known as the Townshend Acts placed taxes on tea, glass, paper and other materials. This again benefited Great Britain and upsetted the colonists because of the high payments enforced on these

The Townshend Acts started about 1767. This Act stated that any any British soldiers or tax collectors could search anything the colonists owned such as; boats, warehouses, farms, and homes to see if there was any smuggled/ stolen goods. The warrants also said that the officers could take anything the colonists owned, that they thought was stolen or smuggled.

The Townshend act was proclaimed in 1767. The colonists viewed it as an abuse of power after the last acts. The act was eventually repealed but left the tax on tea. Some of the imported items that it taxed were: glass, lead, paints, paper and tea.

The Townshend Act was passed on 2nd July 1776. The act involved a series of acts that imposed duties on paper, glass, lead, paints and all tea imported into the colonies. The series of measures were introduced by the Exchequer Charles Townshend into the English Parliament. Although many Americans viewed the extra taxation as slavery and abuse of power, its initiator, Mr. Townshend hoped the act would provide money for imperial expenses in the colonies. The act eventually lead to imports from America being limited. After the many complaints and dissatisfaction from the American, the English Parliament finally amended the act in 1770. All duties were scrapped except the tax on tea. This was the last harassment that

This act taxed paper products and official documents in colonies and it was very unpopular. It taxed such things like cards, paper, cash, etc. When the colonists opposed this act they reacted very strongly to it. Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams spoke out against the Stamp Act. From this act the Townshend Act was established, in 1767. In this act Parliament repealed the stamp act, so the Townshend act was put in their place. It taxed imports of lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea. The colonists boycotted the purchase of these goods in protest, and said, "No taxation without

The American colonies had good reason to suspect some other motives were at play in Britain and with their fears came more taxes. With their ever-growing belief that in some way Britain was devising a plan to seize their liberties, colonists started to boycott British luxury goods so Britain would have to stop the taxes since they would not be making revenue. However, this did not stop Parliament from adding new taxes to the list. In 1767, the Townshend Revenue Acts were imposed and set a new series of taxes on the colonists to offset the costs of administering and protecting the American colonies. Items taxed include imports such as paper, tea, glass, lead and paints. The restrictions Britain

The Townshend Acts were meant to replace the Stamp Act, which was repealed in 1766. These new acts greatly angered the Bostonians.

By 1765, at a Stamp Act Congress, all but four colonies were represented as the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was passed. They were determined to let Parliament know that they were equal to British citizens, that there would be no “taxation without representation,” and all efforts to stop tax on colonists would continue (Kennedy, etal 2011.) Although Lord Rockingham, the predecessor of Grenville, sought to repeal of the Stamp Act, this in no way meant Parliament was conceding their control. In fact, while the Stamp Act was repealed, another called the “Declaratory Act of 1766,” gave Parliament the authority to make laws binding the American Colonies, “in all cases whatsoever.” In 1767, George III passed the Townshend Acts to collect tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and, tea. Recognizing that tea was a favorite among the Americans, it ensured greater revenue the British government. Again, the colonists’ rights for representation were ignored and they started to boycott British goods and ultimately, smuggle tea. When the Quartering Act was passed, which specified that colonists were to give room and board to British troops, tension began to rise. For two years, the colonists tolerated British troops on their soil and their dissatisfaction with the British Parliament and King George III became evident through many violent riots, abusiveness of tax collectors and destruction of property. According to Kennedy, etal (2011), Parliament, continually met with