1768 Petition, Memorial, and Remonstrance facts for kids
The American colonies had a long history of disagreeing with taxes from Great Britain. One important protest happened in the Colony of Virginia before 1776. A special document, known as the "PMR," was a powerful way for the colonists to speak up.
The "PMR" was a set of three documents: [The Petition to His Majesty], [The Memorial to the House of Lords], and [The Remonstrance to the House of Commons]. These papers were written by the Virginia House of Burgesses in April 1768 and sent to the British government.
An important person named David Hartley, who was a friend of Benjamin Franklin, owned a copy of the "PMR." Hartley was a Member of Parliament and later signed the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which officially ended the American Revolution. He believed in freedom for all English people, both in Britain and in the colonies. The ideas in the "PMR" were similar to those later found in the Declaration of Independence.
The British government didn't officially reply to Virginia's protest. However, around mid-1768, Virginia Governor General Sir Jeffrey Amherst was replaced by Lord Botetourt. The new governor was told to stay in Virginia and call for soldiers if there were any problems. Virginia also sent the "PMR" to other colonies, asking for their support. This, along with the Massachusetts Circular Letter, led to many more protests. By the end of 1769, all the American colonies had officially protested the taxes from the Townshend Acts.
Contents
Why Colonists Protested Taxes
The idea that people should not be taxed without having a say in the government came from the English Bill of Rights of 1689. This document said that people should have certain rights. The famous phrase "no taxation without representation" comes from one of its rules.
Early Ideas of Freedom
Before the English Bill of Rights, the Assembly of New York created a similar document in 1683 called the Charter of Liberties and Privileges. It stated that the power to make laws should belong to the governor, council, and the people's representatives. It also listed rights for citizens, like only being taxed by their own representatives and having religious freedom.
Britain's Debt and New Taxes
Britain won a big war called the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years' War) between 1756 and 1763. But winning the war cost a lot of money, leaving Britain with a huge debt. To help pay for this debt and keep soldiers in America, the British government decided the colonies should help.
They tried to raise money by passing several tax laws:
- The Sugar Act in 1764 put a high tax on molasses imports.
- The Stamp Act in 1765 taxed legal papers, newspapers, books, and even playing cards. This law made many colonists angry.
- The Declaratory Act in 1766 said that Britain had the right to make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
- The Townshend Acts in 1767 placed taxes on goods like glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea.
"No Taxation Without Representation"
At first, colonists mainly complained about the taxes themselves. But soon, their protests focused on a bigger idea: that they should not be taxed by a government where they had no representatives. This became known as "no taxation without representation."
The Stamp Act, set to start in November 1765, caused widespread anger. After the Virginia Resolves appeared in newspapers, many merchants refused to buy the required stamps. Because of these protests, the British Parliament canceled the Stamp Act in March 1766.
Growing Colonial Unity
Even though the Townshend Acts became official in September 1767, organized protests didn't really start until 1768. A writer named John Dickinson wrote twelve articles called Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania. He argued that Parliament could only tax to control trade, not just to raise money. These letters were printed all over the colonies.
In January 1768, the Massachusetts Assembly asked the King to cancel the Townshend Acts. Samuel Adams from Boston suggested that all the colonies should work together. The Massachusetts Circular Letter in February 1768 invited every colony to join the resistance. When Massachusetts refused to take back the letter, their royal governor shut down their assembly.
This led Virginia to create the "PMR" on April 14, 1768, and share it with other colonies. Soon, every colony was protesting. For example, New Jersey's Assembly stated in May 1768 that colonists should only be taxed by their own representatives.
Boycotts and Protests
Starting in 1766, the colonies tried to stop importing British goods. These "non-importation agreements" helped get the Stamp Act canceled because British merchants lost money. By 1768, almost every port city and region had its own agreement. However, it was hard to make these agreements work perfectly, as some merchants still imported goods. Even so, non-importation became an important tool, and it was agreed upon in the first Continental Congress.
In May 1773, the Tea Act gave the East India Company a special right to sell tea in the colonies. It also kept a small tax on tea. People in Philadelphia protested this in October. In Boston, colonists tried to get British tea agents to quit, but they failed. On December 16, after the governor stopped ships from returning tea to England, activists boarded three tea ships. They dumped 342 containers of tea into the harbor. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party.
Massachusetts and Virginia were the largest and most powerful colonies. In June 1774, Massachusetts called for a meeting of committees from all the colonies. Virginia supported this idea. This led to the First Continental Congress in 1774. Important delegates included George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. Peyton Randolph was chosen as its president.
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