In response, Townshend proposed the Restraining Act of 1767, which disbanded the New York Assembly until it agreed to pay for the garrison’s supplies, which it eventually agreed to do. The act ensured that there would be no further taxation on tea and dropping the overcall cost of East Indian Company tea. In 1767, Parliament again exercised its right to legislate for the colonies when it passed the Townshend Acts. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The townshend act was an indirect tax on consumer goods, so paint, lead, and all that good stuff. 59. The Restraining Act never went into effect because, by the time it was passed, the New York Assembly had already appropriated money to cover the costs of the Quartering Act. "The Effect of the Townshend Acts in Pennsylvania. [47], Townshend knew that his program would be controversial in the colonies, but he argued that, "The superiority of the mother country can at no time be better exerted than now. American resentment, corrupt British officials, and abusive enforcement spurred colonial attacks on British ships, including the burning of the Gaspee in 1772. The British government continued to tax the American colonies without providing representation in Parliament. [50], The most influential colonial response to the Townshend Acts was a series of twelve essays by John Dickinson entitled "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania", which began appearing in December 1767. [52] Dickinson warned colonists not to concede to the taxes just because the rates were low, since this would set a dangerous precedent. The Townshend Acts, passed in 1767 and 1768, were designed to raise revenue for the British Empire by taxing its North American colonies. Townshend also faced the problem of what to do about the New York Provincial Assembly, which had refused to comply with the 1765 Quartering Act because its members saw the act's financial provisions as levying an unconstitutional tax. Before the Act, customs violators could be tried in an admiralty court in Halifax, Nova Scotia, if royal prosecutors believed they would not get a favorable outcome using a local judge and jury. The Townshend Acts (/ˈtaʊnzənd/)[1] or Townshend Duties, refers to a series of British acts of Parliament passed during 1767 and 1768 relating to the British colonies in America. Why do Americans often deny the bad historical deeds that their country has committed? [12] This followed from the principle of mercantilism in England, which meant the colonies were forced to trade only with England. [24] There was little opposition expressed in Parliament at the time. [8], This was the first of the five acts, passed on 5 June 1767. "[48] The Townshend Acts did not create an instant uproar like the Stamp Act had done two years earlier, but before long, opposition to the programme had become widespread. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The Townshend Acts (or the Townshend Act) refers to a set of taxes passed by Parliament in 1767 after the Stamp Act caused rebellion and riots on both sides of the Atlantic. "[32], Some members of Parliament objected because Townshend's plan was expected to generate only £40,000 in yearly revenue, but he explained that once the precedent for taxing the colonists had been firmly established, the program could gradually be expanded until the colonies paid for themselves. Also known as the New York Suspending Act; Knollenberg. "Never could a fateful measure have had a more quiet passage", wrote historian Peter Thomas. Boston merchants organized the first non-importation agreement, which called for merchants to suspend importation of certain British goods effective 1 January 1768. Bernard could find no one who was willing to provide reliable evidence, however, and so there were no treason trials. The Revenue Act 1767 was 7 Geo. The Revenue Act of 1767 - this act, by itself, is often referred to as the Townshend Act. 56; Labaree. [44] The New York Restraining Act,[45] which according to historian Robert Chaffin was "officially a part of the Townshend Acts",[46] suspended the power of the Assembly until it complied with the Quartering Act. He also sent a letter to Massachusetts Governor Francis Bernard, instructing him to have the Massachusetts House rescind the Circular Letter. [67] Parliament had determined that the Treason Act 1543 was still in force, which would allow Bostonians to be transported to England to stand trial for treason. [53], Dickinson sent a copy of his "Letters" to James Otis of Massachusetts, informing Otis that "whenever the Cause of American Freedom is to be vindicated, I look towards the Province of Massachusetts Bay". The Townshend Acts refers to a set of taxes passed by Parliament in 1767 after the Stamp Act caused riots on both sides of the Atlantic. [69], Even before the Liberty riot, Hillsborough had decided to send troops to Boston. [7] Parliament provided its answer to this question when it repealed the Stamp Act in 1766 by simultaneously passing the Declaratory Act, which proclaimed that Parliament could legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever". [68] The possibility that American colonists might be arrested and sent to England for trial produced alarm and outrage in the colonies. According to historian John C. Miller, "Townshend ingeniously sought to take money from Americans by means of parliamentary taxation and to employ it against their liberties by making colonial governors and judges independent of the assemblies. One ominous result was that colonists now began to believe that the…, …then chancellor of exchequer, levied duties on certain imports into the colonies, including a duty on tea, and linked this proposal with plans to remodel colonial government. The Townshend Acts' taxation on imported tea was enforced once again by the Tea Act of 1773, and this led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773 in which Bostonians destroyed a shipment of taxed tea. They were designed to … [42] Although often included in discussions of the Townshend Acts, this act was initiated by the Cabinet when Townshend was not present, and was not passed until after his death. … The Townshend act led to new protests in the American Colonies. The fourth Townshend Act, known as the Indemnity Act, was aimed at enabling the East India Company to compete with the tea that was smuggled by the Dutch. Like the Stamp Act in 1765, the Townshend Acts led many colonists to work together against what they perceived to be an unconstitutional measure, generating the second major crisis in British Colonial America. The Townshend duty on tea was retained when the 1773 Tea Act was passed, which allowed the East India Company to ship tea directly to the colonies. III ch. The … Because of this, some scholars do not include the Vice-Admiralty Court Act with the other Townshend Acts, but most do since it deals with the same issues. Corrections? These import taxes were forthrightly declared to be for the purpose of…, Townshend, claiming to take literally the colonial distinction between external and internal taxes, imposed external duties on a wide range of necessities, including lead, glass, paint, paper, and tea, the principal domestic beverage. Townshend Acts, (June 15–July 2, 1767), in colonial U.S. history, series of four acts passed by the British Parliament in an attempt to assert what it considered to be its historic right to exert authority over the colonies through suspension of a recalcitrant representative assembly and through strict provisions for the collection of revenue duties. [21] These were items that were not produced in North America and that the colonists were only allowed to buy from Great Britain. Townshend Acts, (June 15–July 2, 1767), in colonial U.S. history, series of four acts passed by the British Parliament in an attempt to assert what it considered to be its historic right to exert authority over the colonies through suspension of a recalcitrant representative assembly and through strict provisions for the collection of revenue duties. Since tea smuggling had become a common and successful practice, Parliament realized how difficult it was to enforce the taxing of tea. By a vote of 92 to 17, the House refused to comply, and Bernard promptly dissolved the legislature. These were payable at colonial ports and fell on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea. "The Townshend Acts crisis, 1767–1770". The Townshend Revenue Act of 1767 placed import duties on items such as glass, lead, paint, and paper. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Townshend-Acts, Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum - Townshend Acts, United States History - The Townshend Acts, Townshend Acts - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Townshend Acts - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), public acknowledgement of nonimportation agreement violation. Compensating for the loss of revenue brought about by the Indemnity Act was another reason for the imposition of the Townshend duties. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Until this time, all items had to be shipped to England first from wherever they were made, and then re-exported to their destination, including to the colonies. In 1767, British Parliament passed on the Townshend acts. [70] Hillsborough suggested that Gage might send one regiment to Boston, but the Liberty incident convinced officials that more than one regiment would be needed. Merchants in other colonial ports, including New York City and Philadelphia, eventually joined the boycott. [37] The American Customs Board would generate considerable hostility in the colonies towards the British government. Previously, customs enforcement was handled by the Customs Board back in England. [63], The newly created American Customs Board was seated in Boston, and so it was there that the Board concentrated on strictly enforcing the Townshend Acts. Fund Raising The purpose of the Townshend Acts was to raise revenues among the colonies and use them to pay the salaries of judges and governors to enable them to have colonial rule independence. Brunhouse, Robert Levere. The Townshend Acts were four laws enacted by the British Parliament in 1767 that imposed and enforced the collection of taxes on the American colonies. The Townshend Acts consisted of the Suspending Act, the Revenue Act, the Indemnity Act, and the … If you look at a deck of cards in the box or at a bottle of liquor you will notice an odd looking piece of paper over the top. Colonists were mad at the Townshend Act because the Townshend Acts took away a couple rights of freedom, and made the colonists pay even more taxes on everyday products like paint, glass, and tea. [4] In March 1770, most of the taxes from the Townshend Acts were repealed by Parliament under Frederick, Lord North. [18] This act represented the Chatham ministry's new approach to generating tax revenue in the American colonies after the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. Lord Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, after whom the Townshend Acts were named, had died suddenly in September 1767. "[23] The Townshend Revenue Act received the royal assent on 29 June 1767. However, the import duty on tea was retained in order to demonstrate to the colonists that Parliament held the sovereign authority to tax its colonies, in accordance with the Declaratory Act of 1766. There was an angry response from colonists, who deemed the taxes a threat to their rights as British subjects. the tea tax, were properly and fully collected. In addition, the accused person had to travel to the court of jurisdiction at his own expense; if he did not appear, he was automatically considered guilty. They were met with widespread protest in the colonies, especially among merchants in Boston. Implicit in the Stamp Act dispute was an issue more fundamental than taxation and representation: the question of the extent of Parliament's authority in the colonies. [49] Townshend did not live to see this reaction, having died suddenly on 4 September 1767. There was widespread protest, and American port cities refused to import British goods, so Parliament began to partially repeal the Townshend duties. In a simple sentence, the Townshend Act of 1767 passed to impose heavy indirect taxes on the American colonists and keep proving the British Parliament’s authority over them. [10], This act was the (joint) third act, passed on 29 June 1767, the same day as the Commissioners of Customs Act (see below). It placed taxes on glass, lead, painters' colors, paper, and tea. III ch. Updates? [27] The Revenue Act also reaffirmed the legality of writs of assistance, or general search warrants, which gave customs officials broad powers to search houses and businesses for smuggled goods. The Vice-Admiralty Court Act added three new royal admiralty courts in Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston to aid in more effective prosecutions. The Act was not passed by Parliament, but by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, with the approval of the King. Part of the purpose of the entire series of Townshend Acts was to save the company from imploding. The second act, often called the Townshend duties or the Revenue Act, imposed direct revenue duties—that is, duties aimed not merely at regulating trade but at putting money into the British treasury. 46; Knollenberg. Initially the Townshend acts were meant to replace the Stamp Act to raise revenues for the crown. [59], Merchants in the colonies, some of them smugglers, organized economic boycotts to put pressure on their British counterparts to work for repeal of the Townshend Acts. [75] Although British soldiers were not involved in that incident, resentment against the occupation escalated in the days that followed, resulting in the killing of five civilians in the Boston Massacre of 5 March 1770. Commodore Samuel Hood complied by sending the fifty-gun warship HMS Romney, which arrived in Boston Harbor in May 1768. The Townshend Acts were a series of laws passed by the British government on the American colonies in 1767. What did the Townshend Acts (1767) do? The New York Restraining Act was never implemented because the New York Assembly acted in time. It forbade the New York Assembly and the governor of New York from passing any new bills until they agreed to comply with the Quartering Act 1765, which required them to pay for and provide housing, food and supplies for British troops in the colony. The Townshend Acts were four acts passed by the British Parliament in 1767 prior to the American Revolution.These laws angered many colonists, because they put a tax on non-British imported tea (leading to the Boston Tea Party), and other necessities. They placed new taxes and took away some freedoms from the colonists including the following: New taxes on imports of paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea. The Americans claimed they were not represented in Parliament, but the British government retorted that they had "virtual representation", a concept the Americans rejected. Townshend Acts, 1767, originated by Charles Townshend and passed by the English Parliament shortly after the repeal of the Stamp Act. [78] After debate, the Repeal Act[79] received the Royal Assent on 12 April 1770.[80]. What Did The Townshend Act Do? [33] According to historian Peter Thomas, Townshend's "aims were political rather than financial". [57] Parliament refused to consider the petitions of Virginia and Pennsylvania. This tax cut in England would be partially offset by the new Revenue Act taxes on tea in the colonies. Once the new Customs Board was in operation, enforcement increased, leading to confrontation with smuggling colonists. Take advantage of our Presidents' Day bonus! [34], To better collect the new taxes, the Commissioners of Customs Act 1767 established the American Board of Customs Commissioners, which was modeled on the British Board of Customs. They were resisted everywhere with verbal agitation and physical violence, deliberate evasion of duties, renewed nonimportation agreements among merchants, and overt acts of hostility toward British enforcement agents, especially in Boston. [64] The acts were so unpopular in Boston that the Customs Board requested naval and military assistance. • The acts were named in honor of Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, a position similar to the AmericanSecretary of the Treasury. It was the second time in the history of the colonies that a tax had been levied solely for the purpose of raising revenue. [26] The Indemnity Act repealed taxes on tea imported to England, allowing it to be re-exported more cheaply to the colonies. British officials were dispatched to every colony to insure taxes, i.e. The Suspending Act prohibited the New York Assembly from conducting any further business until it complied with the financial requirements of the Quartering Act (1765) for the expenses of British troops stationed there. in Jack P. Greene, J. R. Pole eds., Leslie, William R. "The Gaspee Affair: A Study of Its Constitutional Significance." [13], The British East India Company was one of England's largest companies, but was on the verge of collapse due to much cheaper smuggled Dutch tea. Established in 1764, this court proved to be too remote to serve all of the colonies, and so the 1768 Vice Admiralty Court Act created four district courts, which were located at Halifax, Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston. It also gave local officials more power to deal with smugglers and those attempting to evade paying royal taxes — all The Townsend Acts placed taxes on British exports to North America. [60] In Virginia, the non-importation effort was organized by George Washington and George Mason. Charles Townshend Why did the British make these laws? [72] Samuel Adams organized an emergency, extralegal convention of towns and passed resolutions against the imminent occupation of Boston, but on 1 October 1768, the first of four regiments of the British Army began disembarking in Boston, and the Customs Commissioners returned to town. [20] With this in mind, Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, devised a plan that placed new duties on paper, paint, lead, glass, and tea that were imported into the colonies. [66], Given the unstable state of affairs in Massachusetts, Hillsborough instructed Governor Bernard to try to find evidence of treason in Boston. The Act stated that no more taxes would be placed on tea, and it made the cost of the East India Company's tea less than tea that was smuggled via Holland. This form of revenue generation was Townshend's response to the failure of the Stamp Act of 1765, which had provided the first form of direct taxation placed upon the colonies. [55] Upon receipt of the Massachusetts Circular Letter, other colonies also sent petitions to the king. [6] This issue, only briefly debated following the Sugar Act, became a major point of contention after Parliament's passage of the Stamp Act 1765. The acts posed an immediate threat to established traditions of colonial self-government, especially the practice of taxation through representative provincial assemblies. The Townshend act imposed an indirect tax on the colonists that he called duties. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The third act established strict and often arbitrary machinery of customs collection in the American colonies, including additional officers, searchers, spies, coast guard vessels, search warrants, writs of assistance, and a Board of Customs Commissioners at Boston, all to be financed out of customs revenues. Historians vary slightly as to which acts they include under the heading "Townshend Acts", but five are often listed: Initially the Townshend acts were meant to replace the Stamp Act to raise revenues for the crown. The Stamp Act proved to be wildly unpopular in the colonies, contributing to its repeal the following year, along with the failure to raise substantial revenue. These taxes mainly imposed on some very necessary goods; such as tea, paper, glass, lead, paint, etc. [73] The "Journal of Occurrences", an anonymously written series of newspaper articles, chronicled clashes between civilians and soldiers during the military occupation of Boston, apparently with some exaggeration. The decisions were made solely by the judge, without the option of trial by jury, which was considered to be a fundamental right of British subjects. [76] After the incident, the troops were withdrawn to Castle William. The Grafton ministry adopted an energetic American policy, thanks in part to Townshend, who pushed through Parliament in the spring of 1767... A notice from New York merchant Simeon Coley on July 22, 1769, publicly acknowledging his violation of the nonimportation agreement that had been established by colonists in response to the duties imposed under the Townshend Acts. [28], The original stated purpose of the Townshend duties was to raise a revenue to help pay the cost of maintaining an army in North America. Previously, through the Trade and Navigation Acts, Parliament had used taxation to regulate the trade of the empire. But with the Sugar Act of 1764, Parliament sought, for the first time, to tax the colonies for the specific purpose of raising revenue. The, This page was last edited on 10 February 2021, at 14:50. [62] The boycott movement began to fail by 1770, and came to an end in 1771. This was a major emphasis behind the Townshend Acts. Herein, what were some of the effects of the Townshend Acts? Townshend Duty Act. New offices were eventually opened in other ports as well. American colonists argued that there were constitutional issues involved.[5]. [9], This was the second of the five acts, passed on 26 June 1767. [20] "Townshend's mistaken belief that Americans regarded internal taxes as unconstitutional and external taxes constitutional", wrote historian John Phillip Reid, "was of vital importance in the history of events leading to the Revolution. Political scientist Peter Andreas argues: Another measure to enforce the trade laws was the Vice Admiralty Court Act 1768. • The Townshend Acts gave jurisdiction over smuggling and customs cases to British naval courts rather than Colonial district … The Boston Tea Party soon followed, which set the stage for the American Revolution. Doug Krehbiel, "British Empire and the Atlantic World," in Paul Finkelman, ed.. 7 Geo. This was the last of the five acts passed. Such colonial tumult, coupled with the instability of frequently changing British ministries, resulted in repeal—on March 5, 1770, the same day as the Boston Massacre—of all revenue duties except that on tea, lifting of the Quartering Act requirements, and removal of troops from Boston, which thus temporarily averted hostilities. The American Board of Customs Commissioners was notoriously corrupt, according to historians. Four acts of the British Parliament in 1767 that imposed duties on the import of paint, glass, paper, lead, and tea to the North American colonies. [35] The Board was created because of the difficulties the British Board faced in enforcing trade regulations in the distant colonies. One purpose of the vice admiralty courts, which did not have juries, was to help customs officials prosecute smugglers, since colonial juries were reluctant to convict persons for violating unpopular trade regulations. The Assembly avoided conceding the right of Parliament to tax the colonies by making no reference to the Quartering Act when appropriating this money; they also passed a resolution stating that Parliament could not constitutionally suspend an elected legislature. According to historian Oliver Dickerson, "The actual separation of the continental colonies from the rest of the Empire dates from the creation of this independent administrative board."[38]. The company, ranking as one of the largest in England, was facing calamity due to being undercut by smuggled tea, which was cheaper. [78] Although some in Parliament advocated a complete repeal of the act, North disagreed, arguing that the tea duty should be retained to assert "the right of taxing the Americans". [14], This act was passed on 29 June 1767 also. In fact, the modification of the Townshend Duties Act was scarcely any change at all.[81]. Incidents between customs and officials, military personnel and colonists broke out across the colonies, eventually leading to the occupation of Boston by British troops. The Townshend Revenue Act of 1767 placed duties on various … [43] Before this act, there was just one vice admiralty court in North America, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The use of writs of assistance was significantly controversial, since the right to be secure in one's private property was an established right in Britain. They are named after Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer who proposed the program. [17], The first of the Townshend Acts, sometimes simply known as the Townshend Act, was the Revenue Act 1767. This allowed them to re-export the tea to the colonies more cheaply and resell it to the colonists. The Indemnity Act was 7 Geo. [54] The Massachusetts House of Representatives began a campaign against the Townshend Acts by first sending a petition to King George asking for the repeal of the Revenue Act, and then sending a letter to the other colonial assemblies, asking them to join the resistance movement. What did the Townshend Act give British officials the right to do? However, New York reluctantly agreed to pay for at least some of the soldiers' needs as they understood they were going to be punished by Parliament unless they acted. It gave Royal naval courts, rather than colonial courts, jurisdiction over all matters concerning customs violations and smuggling. The revenue-producing tea levy, the American Board of Customs and, most important, the principle of making governors and magistrates independent all remained. Due to the distance, enforcement was poor, taxes were avoided and smuggling was rampant. The British American colonists named the acts after Charles Townshend, who sponsored them. On 8 June 1768, he instructed General Thomas Gage, Commander-in-Chief, North America, to send "such Force as You shall think necessary to Boston", although he conceded that this might lead to "consequences not easily foreseen". Customs officials fled to Castle William for protection. In April 1768 he sent a letter to the colonial governors in America, instructing them to dissolve the colonial assemblies if they responded to the Massachusetts Circular Letter. Chaffin, Robert J. It lowered commercial duties on tea imported to England by the East India Company and gave the company a refund of the duty for tea that was then exported to the colonies. Historians vary slightly as to which acts they include under the heading "Townshend Acts", but five are often listed:[2]. [29] Townshend changed the purpose of the tax plan, however, and instead decided to use the revenue to pay the salaries of some colonial governors and judges. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. When the Virginia House of Burgesses passed a resolution stating that Parliament had no right to tax Virginians without their consent, Governor Lord Botetourt dissolved the assembly. The taxes were placed on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea. British exports to the colonies declined by 38 percent in 1769, but there were many merchants who did not participate in the boycott. This law taxed tea, paper, paint, glass, and lead imported into the colonies. The chancellor succeeded in getting Parliament to enact new duties, clearly external in nature, on paint, paper, glass, lead and tea imported into the colonies. The Townshend Acts or Townshend Duties, refers to a series of British acts of Parliament passed during 1767 and 1768 relating to the British colonies in America. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... An American colonist reading with concern the royal proclamation of a tax on tea in the colonies, part of the Townshend Acts; political cartoon, Boston, 1767. The members met at Raleigh Tavern and adopted a boycott agreement known as the "Association". [65], On 10 June 1768, customs officials seized the Liberty, a sloop owned by leading Boston merchant John Hancock, on allegations that the ship had been involved in smuggling. Townshend Acts “No taxation without representation protests in Boston” In 1767, a year after the repeal of the Stamp Act, Parliament approved another revenue raising taxation in the colonies, the Townshend Acts . "Ladies of the first quality" do their share and newspaper reports use their example to inform and inspire readers to take action. To pay a small fraction of the costs of the newly expanded empire, the Parliament of Great Britain decided to levy new taxes on the colonies of British America. For England they gave greater control over the colonies; for the colonists they caused distress and anger. [58], In Great Britain, Lord Hillsborough, who had recently been appointed to the newly created office of Colonial Secretary, was alarmed by the actions of the Massachusetts House.