“No Taxation without Representation”…this slogan used by the English Colonists is one of the major factors that led to the American Revolution. Among other reasons, the Colonists were fed up with how England was governing and treating them. The religious and political legacy of colonies was in jeopardy, along with the restrictions on civil liberties by the British.
Parliamentary taxation was one of the main reasons the American public rebelled. One example of this was the Stamp Act of 1765 established by Prime Minister Grenville. The British government was in dire need of more revenue from the colonies, so they made their presence felt in the colonial governments by instituting this new law. What the Stamp Act entailed was that any person, regardless of their profession, was required to purchase stamps for their documents. In other words, a tax was put on every document printed in the colonies. The actual act itself was not so detrimental to the economy, but it was the ideal behind it that infuriated the colonists. They thought of it as a direct attempt by Britain to further itself and to raise revenue in the colonies. A few months after the act was first passed; the Stamp Act Congress met with representatives from nine colonies and petitioned the King of England. This was the first call for reformation with regards to England’s control over America.
In addition to the Stamp Act, one year earlier the Sugar Act of 1764 lowered the duty on molasses and raised the duty on sugar. The majority of the Americans did not view the act any different than traditional taxations. In 1767, another set of taxes, known as the Townshend Duties, taxed goods imported to the colonies from England. Townshend viewed this to be more practical because it was a duty on “external” goods rather than “internal” goods. The already agitated and distressed Americans were absolutely against this. At this point, the Massachusetts Assembly urged the American public to revolt...