Lack of Representation in Parliament
The lack of representation in parliament was one of the main reasons that the colonists rebelled.It was one of the many rights Great Britain took away from the colonists. Lack of Representation actually violated many of the colonist rights as British citizens because in the English Bill of Rights it says that the imposition of taxes on people without representation was forbidden. The saying that was brought up by the colonists was "No taxation without representation!", meaning "You can't tax us unless we have direct representation in parliament!". The colonists had no way to vote for how they got taxed. The colonists also wanted representation in parliament because many of laws they were making were unconstitutional and the British didn't know what it was like not to be in monarchy and the colonists knew what it was like to live in a semi-representative government. British Parliament controlled trade and how much tax was put on exports and imports. The British didn't feel this was a problem because they claimed that the colonists had virtual or indirect representation in Parliament. Due to this lack of representation, the British could tax the colonists in anyway they could or wanted to. This lead to an increase in taxes so the British could have more revenue. There were many protests when they passed these acts so this would result in British Parliament repealing the laws. Through all of this there were rising tensions especially in Boston. In October 1768 the British government stationed soldiers in Boston to control these outbreaks. This led to the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
The lack of representation in parliament was one of the main reasons that the colonists rebelled.It was one of the many rights Great Britain took away from the colonists. Lack of Representation actually violated many of the colonist rights as British citizens because in the English Bill of Rights it says that the imposition of taxes on people without representation was forbidden. The saying that was brought up by the colonists was "No taxation without representation!", meaning "You can't tax us unless we have direct representation in parliament!". The colonists had no way to vote for how they got taxed. The colonists also wanted representation in parliament because many of laws they were making were unconstitutional and the British didn't know what it was like not to be in monarchy and the colonists knew what it was like to live in a semi-representative government. British Parliament controlled trade and how much tax was put on exports and imports. The British didn't feel this was a problem because they claimed that the colonists had virtual or indirect representation in Parliament. Due to this lack of representation, the British could tax the colonists in anyway they could or wanted to. This lead to an increase in taxes so the British could have more revenue. There were many protests when they passed these acts so this would result in British Parliament repealing the laws. Through all of this there were rising tensions especially in Boston. In October 1768 the British government stationed soldiers in Boston to control these outbreaks. This led to the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
- "No Taxation Without Representation Meaning & Definition." Totally History No Taxation Without Representation Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.
- "Taxation Without Representation - HowStuffWorks." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2015.