The British goal was to raise about 100,000 dollars in the colonies. This was not very much, but it allowed British "taxation without representation", as Patrick Henry said. This act itself was not so harmful to the colonies, but the ideals behind the act (raising revenues) sparked controversy. The colonists responded with the Stamp Act Congress, which drew up a petition to send to King George and Parliament. Along with the petition, the Congress also led boycotts of British goods. This petition and reaction to the act became the first formal cry for reformation with regard to England's control over America. Parliament ended up repealing the Stamp Act, but instead passed the Declaratory Act. This was a major mistake on Britains part to repeal the Stamp Act. It allowed colonists to see that they could defeat Parliament. The new act allowed Parliament to still freely tax colonists. The next act passed was the Townshend Act. This act passed a series of taxes on paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea, which were only manufactured in Britain. Townshend thought this act would be more practical because the duty was on external goods, opposed to taxing internal goods that the Stamp Act had addressed. The colonists responded with more protests and effigy burnings and hangings. The three major port cities of Philadelphia, New York, and Boston made the non-importation agreements, .
Tufto 3.
which stopped all trade with Britain. All the colonies, except Georgia, agreed to resist all tax laws. The final act came when the British passed the Tea Act. This act cut out the colonial merchants in the tea trade between Britain and America. This act greatly angered the colonial merchants because their ability to trade in valuable tea had been taken away. The colonists responded with a boycott. This boycott was important because it strengthened the colonies in a mass popular protest. The "daughters of liberty" began to brew "liberty tea.