Taxation Without Representation Definition

"No taxation without representation" is a political phrase that dates back to the American Revolution and expresses one of the colonists' main grievances against the British. In short, many colonists contended that any taxes imposed on them (such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts) were illegal and infringed upon their rights as English citizens since they were not represented in the far-off British Parliament.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was passed in March 1765 by the British Parliament to force Americans to share their financial burden. Britain placed direct taxes on the colonies for the first time. Many printed publications, like legal documents, periodicals, newspapers, and even playing cards, were required to be printed on London-stamped paper with an embossed revenue stamp under the Act. The colonists objected to the taxes not because they were excessive, but because they were imposed by a British Parliament over which they had no representation. One of the primary areas of contention between the colonists and the Britishers was the issue of "no taxation without representation."

The colonists claimed that any legislation made by the British Parliament that affected them was invalid under the English Bill of Rights 1689 since they were not represented in the body. As a result, they claimed that this was a rejection of their rights as Englishmen, privileges that they had previously enjoyed in England. The Stamp Act was abolished by King George III on March 18, 1766, after a resolution was carried out by a vote of 276–168 in the British Parliament in response to widespread opposition by colonists.