The word “Consent” was important. Under the British Constitution, no British subjects could be taxed without the consent of their representatives in Parliament. The colonists considered the constant imposition of taxes without a vote to be unconstitutional. It was, they felt, “taxation without representation.”
What happened as a result of taxation without representation?
a phrase, generally attributed to James Otis about 1761, that reflected the resentment of American colonists at being taxed by a British Parliament to which they elected no representatives and became an anti-British slogan before the American Revolution; in full, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”
Why did the colonists oppose the taxes imposed after the war?
In order to pay off debt from the war, England imposed taxes on the Americans. American colonists thought this was unfair because they felt they were being taxed without representation (this is called Taxation without Representation).
Why did the colonists protest taxation without representation?
The colonists regularly paid taxes levied by colonial legislatures with no objection; now, however they were being taxed by Parliament where they had no representation; hence the protest of “taxation without representation.”
Why did Britain want to tax the colonies?
During the first half of the eighteenth century, Britain had allowed the colonies a great deal of autonomy. But after incurring a large debt from conducting the Seven Years’ War against France, Britain decided to raise funds by levying this tax on the colonies since the war had been fought in America.
Why did the colonists object to the Stamp Act?
The colonists protested the act and even threatened the stamp distributors—so much so that within a year, almost all the stamp distributors had resigned their posts. Britain repealed the tax, but more of the same type would follow. Colonists would object to those on the same grounds.
