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The first of the Townshend Acts, sometimes simply known as the Townshend Act, was the Revenue Act 1767 (7 Geo 3 c 46). [d] [43] [44] This act represented the Chatham ministry's new approach to generating tax revenue in the American colonies after the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766.
This view became the basis for subsequent colonial opposition to the Townshend Acts, [4] and was influential in the development of colonial thinking about the relationship with Britain. [ 5 ] : 215–216 The letters are noted for their mild tone, and urged the colonists to seek redress within the British constitutional system.
After the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766, [1] the British Parliament imposed the Townshend Acts in 1767 as another way of generating revenue. The acts placed an import duty on glass, paint, paper, lead, and tea as well as establishing an American Board of Customs. [2] In response, the Massachusetts General Court issued a circular letter. (A ...
Charles Townshend (27 August 1725 – 4 September 1767) was a British politician who held various titles in the Parliament of Great Britain. His establishment of the controversial Townshend Acts is considered one of the key causes of the American Revolution .
The revenues generated from these duties were intended to pay the salaries of colonial governors, judges, and troops. Unlike the Stamp Act, however, the Townshend Revenue Act attracted considerably less attention and criticism when it went into effect in November 1767. The muted opposition arose because the act affected only merchants and traders.
American colonists rejected the Stamp Act 1765 brought in by British Prime Minister George Grenville, and initiated boycotts of British goods which helped bring about the repeal of the act in 1766. The passage of the Townshend Acts in 1767 and 1768 again led to colonial protests, including a renewed boycott movement against British wares.
These acts, such as the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767, were seen as legitimate means of collecting revenues to pay off the nearly two-fold increase in British debt stemming from the war. [2] Many colonists in the Americas, however, developed a different conception of their role within the British Empire.
The occupation of Boston arose from colonial resistance to the Townshend Acts, passed by the British Parliament in 1767. In response to the acts, the Massachusetts House of Representatives issued the Massachusetts Circular Letter in February 1768. Also written primarily by Samuel Adams, the circular letter argued that the Townshend Acts were a ...