colonies to provide royal troops with erties . It asserted that Virginians,
provisions and barracks .
enjoying the rights of Englishmen,
could be taxed only by their own
THE STAMP ACT
representatives . The Massachusetts
A
Assembly invited all the colonies to
general tax measure sparked appoint delegates to a “Stamp Act
the greatest organized resistance . Congress” in New York, held in Oc-
Known as the “Stamp Act,” it re- tober 1765, to consider appeals for
quired all newspapers, broadsides, relief to the Crown and Parliament .
pamphlets, licenses, leases, and oth- Twenty-seven representatives from
er legal documents to bear revenue nine colonies seized the opportunity
stamps . The proceeds, collected by to mobilize colonial opinion . After
American customs agents, would be much debate, the congress adopted
used for “defending, protecting, and a set of resolutions asserting that “no
securing” the colonies .
taxes ever have been or can be con-
Bearing equally on people who stitutionally imposed on them, but
did any kind of business, the Stamp by their respective legislatures,” and
Act aroused the hostility of the most that the Stamp Act had a “manifest
powerful and articulate groups in tendency to subvert the rights and
the American population: journal- liberties of the colonists .”
ists, lawyers, clergymen, merchants
and businessmen, North and South,
TAXATION WITHOUT
East and West . Leading merchants
REPRESENTATION
organized for resistance and formed
nonimportation associations .
The issue thus drawn centered on
Trade with the mother country the question of representation . The
fell off sharply in the summer of colonists believed they could not
1765, as prominent men organized be represented unless they actually
themselves into the “Sons of Liber- elected members to the House of
ty” — secret organizations formed Commons . But this idea conflicted
to protest the Stamp Act — often with the English principle of “virtual
through violent means . From Mas- representation,” according to which
sachusetts to South Carolina, mobs, each member of Parliament rep-
forcing luckless customs agents to resented the interests of the whole
resign their offices, destroyed the country and the empire — even if his
hated stamps . Militant resistance ef- electoral base consisted of only a tiny fectively nullified the Act .
minority of property owners from a
Spurred by delegate Patrick Hen- given district . This theory assumed
ry, the Virginia House of Burgesses that all British subjects shared the
passed a set of resolutions in May same interests as the property own-
denouncing taxation without repre- ers who elected members of Parlia-
sentation as a threat to colonial lib- ment .
54
OUTLINE OF U.S. HISTORY
The American leaders argued Townshend, British chancel or of
that their only legal relations were the exchequer, attempted a new fis-
with the Crown . It was the king who cal program in the face of continued
had agreed to establish colonies be- discontent over high taxes at home .
yond the sea and the king who pro- Intent upon reducing British taxes
vided them with governments . They by making more efficient the col-
asserted that he was equally a king lection of duties levied on American
of England and a king of the colo- trade, he tightened customs admin-
nies, but they insisted that the Eng- istration and enacted duties on colo-
lish Parliament had no more right to nial imports of paper, glass, lead, and
pass laws for the colonies than any tea from Britain . The “Townshend
colonial legislature had the right to Acts” were based on the premise that
pass laws for England . In fact, how- taxes imposed on goods imported by
ever, their struggle was equally with the colonies were legal while internal
King George III and Parliament . taxes (like the Stamp Act) were not .
Factions aligned with the Crown
The Townshend Acts were de-
generally controlled Parliament and signed to raise revenue that would
reflected the king’s determination to be used in part to support colonial
be a strong monarch .
officials and maintain the Brit-
The British Parliament reject- ish army in America . In response,
ed the colonial contentions . British Philadelphia lawyer John Dickinson,
merchants, however, feeling the ef- in Letters of a Pennsylvania Farm-
fects of the American boycott, threw er, argued that Parliament had the their weight behind a repeal move- right to control imperial commerce
ment . In 1766 Parliament yielded, but did not have the right to tax the
repealing the Stamp Act and modi- colonies, whether the duties were
fying the Sugar Act . However, to external or internal .
mollify the supporters of central
The agitation following enact-
control over the colonies, Parliament ment of the Townshend duties was
followed these actions with passage less violent than that stirred by the
of the Declaratory Act, which as- Stamp Act, but it was nevertheless
serted the authority of Parliament to strong, particularly in the cities of
make laws binding the colonies “in the Eastern seaboard . Merchants
all cases whatsoever .” The colonists once again resorted to non-impor-
had won only a temporary respite tation agreements, and people made
from an impending crisis .
do with local products . Colonists,
for example, dressed in homespun
THE TOWNSHEND ACTS
clothing and found substitutes for
T
tea . They used homemade paper
he year 1767 brought another se- and their houses went unpaint-
ries of measures that stirred anew ed . In Boston, enforcement of the
all the elements of discord . Charles new regulations provoked violence .
55