During the mid 18th century the American colonists, both bold and ambitious, were showing attitudes of indignation and resentment towards English Parliament. Aside from this, the attitudes generated were mainly the result of British violations of the rights of the new American citizens. The Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution were the direct effect of the economic and political British transgressions. Of many revolts and reactions to Parliament, the Townshend, Stamp, Sugar, and Intolerable Acts were the most significant.
The power of tax, was the power to take away land, and with this no people could call themselves free if they were taxed without consent. This statement alone was the driving force towards the American Revolution. When Parliament passed the tax on sugar, and the Stamp Act, the colonists shot back at the British in a great uproar. The colonists felt that Parliament had some right to legislate them, but no right to tax them. In revolt to this presumed tax, The Stamp Act Congress in New York went underway. Here, the limits of Parliament’s authority were discussed and the American grew closer towards revolution. Mobs and riots followed all which unified the colonists in their common cause, to gain independence from the mother country, England.
Along with the Sugar and Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts followed. Created in July of 1766, by Charles Townshend, these acts levied duties on colonial imports of lead, paper, glass and tea. These items were only legally imported from England therefore the mother country discouraged purchases from it, and encouraged the manufacturing of taxable goods in the colonies. In these set of taxes, Britain had successfully violated every view of the colonies held of Parliament’s limitation of authority. The colonists reacted once again, not violently, but with a series of newspaper letters, and groups such as the Sons of Liberty. The colonists continued to unify and move towards political independence free of taxation without representation.
The Term Paper on Tax Planing – nature and forms of Business, Sec 10A of income Tax Act of 1961
Tax Planning is an exercise undertaken to minimize tax liability through the best use of all available allowances, deductions, exclusions, exemptions, etc.. to reduce income and/or capital gains. Tax planning can be defined as an arrangement of one’s financial and business affairs by taking legitimately in full benefit of all deductions, exemptions. allowances and rebates so that tax ...
The last group of regulations Parliament set upon the colonists without consent were the Intolerable Acts led by Lord North. These codes included the Tea Act of 1773, the still included tax of the Townshend Act, and The Administration of Justice Act. This Act stated that any government or customs officer indicated for murder could be tried in England, beyond the control of local juries. The Quebec Act, and the new Quartering Act were both passed, each ignoring colonial territorial claims. These acts may seem less crucial in leading up to the Declaration of Independence but the colonists began to learn that the supremacy of Parliament meant an end to the power of their own representative assemblies, courts, trial by jury and end to every political principle they believed in.
As explained in detail above, British violations of political and economic rights of the Americans were the cause of both the Revolutionary War, and the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This can be seen in the numerous taxes cast down to the colonists, including the Intolerable Acts, Stamp and Sugar Act. Each one of these taxes and violations proved that the unifying force in various revolutions throughout history can be a common hostility of disbelief towards a certain issue, or in this case country.
