Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumBritish Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance

New York Non-Importation Agreement, August 27, 1768

'We, the subscribers, merchants, and traders of the city of New York... do associate, agree, and promise to and with each other, that we will not send for or import from Great Britain, either upon our own account, or on commission... any goods, wares, or merchandises, until the acts of Parliament imposing duties on paper, glass, tea, and painter's colors, be repealed...'

The economic strategy described in the excerpt was adopted by colonists primarily to achieve which of the following goals?

  1. A
    To protest the passage of the Coercive Acts and the closure of the port of Boston
  2. B
    To establish colonial economic self-sufficiency and permanently end mercantilist trade relations
  3. To pressure British merchants into lobbying Parliament for the repeal of taxation measuresAnswer
  4. D
    To raise funds locally to support the military defense of the colonies against British troops

Answer

To pressure British merchants into lobbying Parliament for the repeal of taxation measures
The correct answer is correct because colonial non-importation agreements, or boycotts, aimed to inflict financial hardship on British merchants. By refusing to buy British imports, colonists expected these merchants to lobby Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts in order to restore their profitable trading relationships.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and date
The document is the New York Non-Importation Agreement of 1768, which directly protests the duties on paper, glass, tea, and paint (the Townshend Acts).
Understanding the timeline and the specific acts targeted helps eliminate choices that rely on later events.
2
Determine the mechanism of colonial non-importation
By refusing to buy British imports, colonial merchants cut off a vital market for British manufacturers and merchants.
Boycotts rely on commercial leverage rather than military force or institutional restructuring.
3
Evaluate the political goal of the merchants
Deprived of revenue, British merchants petitioned Parliament to repeal the taxes, replicating the success of the earlier Stamp Act boycotts.
Connecting colonial economic actions to British legislative changes shows the strategic design behind the resistance.

Key Concept

Colonial economic resistance through non-importation agreements
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

British Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance

More questions from this topic