The Townshend Act

The Townshend Acts were a series of acts passed beginning in 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain. The townshend act were they taxes on glass, paint, oil, lead, paper, and tea that were applied to a year for the administration of the colonies. The purpose of the Townshend Acts was to raise revenue in the colonies to pay the salaries of governors and judges so that they would be independent of colonial rule. The Townshend Acts were met with resistance in the colonies, prompting the occupation of Boston by British troops in 1768, which eventually resulted in the Boston Massacre of 1770. As a result of the massacre in Boston, Parliament began to consider a to partially repeal the Townshend duties. Most of the new taxes were repealed, except the tax on tea causing then the Boston Tea Party. Following the Seven Years' War the British Empire was deep in debt.

Merchants in the colonies, organized economic boycotts to put pressure on their British counterparts to work for repeal of the Townshend Acts. Townshend Acts 1767, originated by Charles Townshend and passed by the English Parliament shortly after the repeal of the Stamp Act. By the writings of John Dickinson, Samuel Adams, and others, protested against the taxes to make the colonist noticed they still have a voice to raise up. Colonist started gathering together to enforces each other and tell the parliament the have no right. The Townshend duties, imposed direct revenue duties that is, duties were not merely at regulating trade but at putting money into the British treasury. It was the second time of the history of the colonies that the tax has been levied only for the purpose of raising revenues.

Colonial reaction to these taxes was the same as to the Sugar Act and Stamp Act, and Britain eventually repealed all the taxes except the one on tea. In response to the sometimes violent protests by the American colonists, Great Britain sent more troops to the colonies. Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, who is as the chief treasurer of the British Empire in charge of economic and financial matters. With the repeal of the Stamp Act, money is needed. The Acts create a new Customs Commission and punish New York for refusing to abide by the Quartering Act. The colonists are being taxed by Parliament without being represented in Parliament. And they are Englishmen and deserve the rights of Englishmen.