United States History of Taxation Through The British Administration in Colonialism

No taxation without representation was a call to arms for American colonists during the Revolutionary War. It plainly stated one of the main reasons for the rebellion, the unfair taxes imposed on them by the British Parliament. Addressing this brought attention to the injustice that the high taxes on imports and exports, and the fact that it went against the rights of the American people. It exposed the British Parliament for treating colonists like second-hand citizens, The phrase “No taxation without representation” gave incentive and motivation to the people to fight for democracy. This phrase played a strong role in the road to the American Revolution and became a symbol of democracy by being a rallying cry that revolutionaries used to speak up against the British Parliament’s oppression.

The above phrase brought to light the blatant injustice of Britain’s taxing of the American colonies. The taxes were put on the colonists even though there was no colonial representation in the British Parliament, meaning the colonies had no voice in how much they were being taxed. Since they had no representation, they had no way of consenting to the taxation they were subjected to (Document 1). This was not a just or fair decision to make, because it prevented the colonial Americans from speaking out against the unfair taxes in a civil matter, before any definite decision was made.

Although the British empire was allowed to regulate the colonies’ trade, enacting these taxes without the consent of the colonies went too far (Document 3). They could not be truly represented in Parliament, as Britain would not allow it (Document 2). With the motto of “no taxation without representation”, the colonists established that they would finally speak out against the unfair taxes and injustice that the crown and Parliament imposed (Document 5).

This phrase also became a symbol of democracy in the colonies. The injustice of this taxation imposed on the colonies inspired many colonists to both educate themselves and defend their rights, including slaves who were oppressed even by the colonial government (Document 7). This rallying cry led the oppressed and tired to arms. The strictness and increased level of control that England put on the colonies in response to these protests inspired revolution to grow even larger than ever, and caused more colonists to realize this unjust and prejudiced was government controlling their lives (Document 4). This finally made it clear to colonists that to gain true equality America and England needed to separate and become two independent countries (Document 6). England, was obviously opposed to this, as it would mean losing many resources and consumers of the colonies.

In conclusion, the phrase “no taxation without representation” impacted the American colonies and was a primary force in motivating them. This phrase became a symbol used by revolutionaries fighting for freedom from an unjust government. It brought attention to grievances that Britain was imposing on the colonies, and became a symbol used to inspire colonists to fight for freedom. The phrase “no taxation without representation” impacted the revolution by inspiring colonists to act in favor of their own freedom and became a symbol used to inspire revolutionaries.