As stated by French statesman Jean Baptiste Colbert: "The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least possible amount of hissing (Chidsey 25). That basically sums up the English's reasons as viewed by colonists. More blatant punishment came soon.
The Townshend Acts kicked in around mid 1767. An external tax, it suspended the NY Assembly for not complying with the 1765 Quartering Act. The second part was the Revenue Act, which taxed colonial imports on goods like paper, lead, paint, and glass. A legislative act was made to ensure enforcement. How much more could the English dish out? Colonists would soon find out.
1773 was a true year of letting out emotions, for this was the year of the Tea Act. It taxed all English imported tea to the colonies. Colonists began smuggling cheaper Holland tea, which hurt the revenue of British East India Company. The tax gave the company a monopoly on tea that couldn't be stopped easily.
While some colonists were tempted to buy the East India Company's high-quality tea at very low prices, others resented the manner in which Parliament was using the act to interfere with their marketplace (Governing 80). With all of the taxes and acts being placed on the colonies, protest ensued. Americans were entitled to their constitutional rights as Englishmen even though they did not happen to be living in England one constitutional right of an Englishmen is to refuse to pay a tax that he has not consented to (Chidsey 29). Tea ships were turned away from seaports, while southern women pledged to drink no more tea. Colonists believed that they were fully capable of managing their own affairs (Cecil 10). However, this simple act of protest wasn't enough for a select few, the Sons of Liberty. Headed by Samuel Adams (1722-1803), this patriot organization opposed Parliament's trade restrictions (Governing 80). They printed pamphlets criticizing Parliament and forced opposing representatives into resignation to stop the acts and taxes.
