Apush Period 3.3– Taxation Without Representation

What was the main cause of colonial discontent in the 1760s?

Britain changed its colonial policy by enforcing trade laws and collecting taxes more aggressively after the Seven Years’ War, ending its long period of salutary neglect.

What did “taxation without representation” mean to the colonists?

Colonists believed they could not be taxed by Parliament since they had no elected representatives in it. Only their own colonial assemblies had that right.

What was Britain’s argument for taxing the colonies?

The British claimed that colonists had virtual representation—meaning members of Parliament represented the interests of all British subjects, not just those who elected them.

What was the Sugar Act (1764)?

Placed duties on foreign sugar and certain luxuries; its purpose was to raise money for the crown and enforce the Navigation Acts more strictly.

What was the Quartering Act (1765)?

Required colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers stationed in the colonies.

What was the Stamp Act (1765)?

First direct tax on the colonies; required that revenue stamps be placed on printed paper, including legal documents, newspapers, and advertisements.

Why did the Stamp Act anger colonists more than earlier taxes?

It was a direct tax paid by consumers rather than merchants, and colonists viewed it as a violation of their rights since it was passed without their consent.

What were the Sons and Daughters of Liberty?

Secret societies organized by colonists to intimidate tax agents, destroy stamps, and protest British taxation.

What was the Stamp Act Congress (1765)?

A meeting of representatives from nine colonies in New York that declared only colonial assemblies had the legal authority to tax colonists—not Parliament.

How did Britain respond to colonial protests of the Stamp Act?

Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 but issued the Declaratory Act, asserting that Parliament had the right to make laws for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”

What were the Townshend Acts (1767)?

Placed indirect taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea; also allowed British officials to search homes for smuggled goods using writs of assistance.

How did colonists respond to the Townshend Acts?

They organized boycotts of British goods, revived protests, and increased smuggling. Leaders like John Dickinson argued they violated English law.

Who wrote Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania and what did it argue?

John Dickinson; he argued that Parliament could regulate trade but could not tax the colonies without their consent.

What was the Massachusetts Circular Letter (1768)?

Written by Samuel Adams and James Otis, it urged colonial assemblies to petition Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts.

What was the Boston Massacre (1770)?

British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five people—including Crispus Attucks. Patriots like Samuel Adams used it to inflame anti-British sentiment.

What were the Committees of Correspondence (1772)?

Organized by Samuel Adams to exchange letters among colonies about British threats to liberty and keep resistance alive.

What was the Gaspee Affair (1772)?

Colonists burned a British customs ship that had caught smugglers; Britain tried to bring suspects to trial in England, angering colonists further.

What was the Tea Act (1773)?

Allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to colonies at a lower price (even with tax included) to undercut smuggled tea—colonists saw it as a trick to accept taxation.

What was the Boston Tea Party (1773)?

Colonists disguised as Native Americans dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act.

What were the Intolerable Acts (1774)?

Punitive laws passed after the Boston Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor and reducing Massachusetts’ self-government—colonists viewed them as tyranny.

How did British colonial policies like taxation contribute to the Revolutionary War?

They united the colonies in opposition, strengthened the idea of rights and liberty, and convinced many colonists that independence was necessary.