“No Taxation Without Representation” was a slogan used by American colonists who felt they were being taxed without proper representation in Parliament. This became a central cause of the American Revolution. The phrase has been used for other applications, including campaigns for voting rights and against government overtaxation.
When America was still a colony under the control of Great Britain, the phrase “No Taxation Without Representation” became a rallying cry for those in America who felt they had not been afforded the proper rights of representation afforded to other Brits. Colonists felt they were being taxed by Parliament even if the colonies were not represented there, meaning they were being taxed without being represented; they viewed this as tyrannical, and taxation without representation became a central cause of the American Revolution.
While the phrase Taxation Without Representation was later used around the world and applied to countless situations, the phrase was originally used and became ubiquitous in the colonial days of the United States, circa 1750. It became a common rallying cry throughout the colonies , and prominent figures began using the slogan in speeches and campaigns to garner support for their cause. Such figures’ contention was that laws that applied only to the colony were illegal because the colonists’ rights as Englishmen were essentially denied. If colonies could be taxed without representatives of those colonies sitting in Parliament, then other laws could be made in the same way, which was a violation of rights.
The problem of taxation without representation stemmed from the fact that Parliament was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The colonies in America were very remote, making actual representation difficult. Some critics against the No Taxation movement argued that settlers were given virtual representation, implying that parliament had the right to make laws for the colonies as it saw fit. This was then signed into law by parliament.
Perhaps one of the most famous instances of demonstrating directly against taxation without representation was the Boston Tea Party. After the Tea Act, which imposed a tax on tea among other things, settlers demanded its officials return a ship carrying tea to Britain. When the officials refused, the colonists boarded the ship and destroyed the tea, dumping it in Boston Harbor. The American Revolution began only a few years later as fervor against such taxation grew.
In more recent times, the phrase has been used for other applications. appeared on license plates in Washington, D.C. as part of a campaign to secure the right to vote for citizens living in the district. it has also been used as a rallying cry for groups in the United States who believe citizens are overtaxed by the government.
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