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Difficulty: MediumBritish Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance

"Q. What was the temper of America towards Great-Britain before the year 1763?

A. The best in the world. They submitted willingly to the government of the Crown, and paid, in all their courts, obedience to acts of parliament. . . .

Q. And what is their temper now?

A. O, very much altered. . . .

Q. And have they not more respect for parliament?

A. No; it is greatly lessened.

Q. To what is that owing?

A. To a variety of causes; the restraints lately laid on their trade . . . the prohibition of making paper money among themselves; and then demanding a new and more heavy tax by stamps."

— Benjamin Franklin, examination before the British House of Commons, 1766

Based on the excerpt, which of the following best explains the shift in colonial attitudes toward Great Britain after 1763?

  1. A
    Colonists rejected all forms of British economic regulation, demanding a system of free enterprise independent of the mercantilist system.
  2. B
    The immediate enactment of the Coercive Acts in response to the Stamp Act united the colonies in a call for total political independence.
  3. Colonists began to actively resist direct internal taxation while increasingly questioning Parliament's authority to tax them without their consent.Answer
  4. D
    Colonists drafted the Articles of Confederation during the Stamp Act crisis to establish a centralized government with the power to levy its own national taxes.

Answer

The correct answer states that colonists began to actively resist direct internal taxation while increasingly questioning Parliament's authority to tax them without their consent.
The correct answer is correct because Benjamin Franklin's testimony highlights how colonial resentment grew due to new policies like the Stamp Act. Prior to 1763, the colonies generally accepted external navigation acts and trade regulations, but the introduction of direct internal taxes without colonial representation in Parliament caused a significant shift towards active resistance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source document by Benjamin Franklin from 1766.
Franklin states that before 1763, colonists 'submitted willingly to the government' but that their temper is now 'very much altered' due to new trade restraints, currency restrictions, and direct taxes like the Stamp Act.
This establishes that the post-1763 policy shift by Great Britain (ending salutary neglect and imposing direct taxes) altered the colonial relationship.
2
Identify the core argument of colonial resistance during the Stamp Act crisis.
The colonists objected to direct taxes levied by a Parliament in which they had no elected representatives, raising the cry of 'no taxation without representation.'
This links the specific policy of the Stamp Act to the ideological objection regarding parliamentary authority and consent.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that best reflects this political and economic shift.
The statement about resisting direct internal taxation and questioning Parliament's authority aligns perfectly with Franklin's explanation of the changed colonial 'temper.'
It correctly identifies the conceptual change in colonial resistance during Period 3 (1754-1800).

Key Concept

British Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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British Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance

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