Townshed Acts
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The Sugar Act of 1764 placed tariffs and duties on goods imported into the colonies by England.
The Townshend Acts applied duties (taxes) to paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea imported by the colonies. Townshend had studied the colonist's distinction between internal and external taxes and he believed his duties were external as none of the products, except tea, could be made in the colonies. The colonists did not agree with his thinking and the result was a colonial boycott against British products. Trade between England and America fell off by 50 percent as a result of the boycott. The British merchants complained to Parliament who repealed the Townshend Duties except the tax on tea. The tea tax was kept in honor of the Declaratory Act. Parliament passed that act to declare that they did have the right to tax the colonies regardless of the American claim of internal or external taxation.
Tariff of 1816
Historian Fred Anderson wrote that the purpose of the Act was "to resolve the problems of finance and control that plagued the postwar empire." To do this "three kinds of measures" were implemented -- "those intended to make customs enforcement more effective, those that placed new duties on items widely consumed in America, and those that adjusted old rates in such a way as to maximize revenues."So basically to raise revenue for the seven years war expenses
The British falsely believed that the colonists had objected to the Stamp Act of 1766 because it was a direct on internal tax. Therefore, they believed colonists would accept external or indirect taxes on imports. The Townshend Acts imposed new duties on products such as tea, lead and paint.