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Difficulty: EasyBritish Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance

Excerpt from the Declaratory Act, Parliament of Great Britain (1766)

'That the said colonies and plantations in America have been, are, and of right ought to be, subordinate unto, and dependent upon the imperial crown and parliament of Great Britain; and that the [King and Parliament]... had, hath, and of right ought to have, full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, subjects of the crown of Great Britain, in all cases whatsoever.'

Which of the following events most directly prompted the British Parliament to pass this declaration?

  1. A
    The colonial protests against the Townshend Duties
  2. B
    The Boston Tea Party and the destruction of British tea
  3. The widespread colonial resistance and boycotts that forced the repeal of the Stamp ActAnswer
  4. D
    The initial establishment of the Navigation Acts to enforce mercantilism

Answer

The correct answer is the option stating that the widespread colonial resistance and boycotts forced the repeal of the Stamp Act.
Parliament passed the Declaratory Act in 1766 simultaneously with the repeal of the Stamp Act. The repeal was a concession to intense colonial protests and economic boycotts, but the Declaratory Act was intended to save face and assert that Parliament still possessed absolute legislative sovereignty over the colonies.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the provided historical excerpt to identify the document and its core argument.
The document is the Declaratory Act of 1766, in which the British Parliament asserts its absolute sovereignty and right to make laws binding the American colonies 'in all cases whatsoever.'
Understanding the core message of the source is necessary to connect it to the correct historical cause.
2
Recall the chronological context and events of the imperial crisis in the mid-1760s.
The Declaratory Act was passed in 1766, immediately following the colonial crisis surrounding the Stamp Act of 1765.
Identifying the year and surrounding events helps eliminate options that occurred later or much earlier.
3
Determine which colonial response directly forced Parliament to change its policy and pass this specific act.
Widespread colonial boycotts and protests against the Stamp Act forced Parliament to repeal it. To save face and assert power, Parliament simultaneously passed the Declaratory Act.
This establishes the direct cause-and-effect relationship tested by the question.

Key Concept

The relationship between British taxation policies (such as the Stamp Act) and colonial resistance strategies (like boycotts), which led to a constitutional debate over parliamentary sovereignty.
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Topics

British Taxation Policies and Colonial Resistance

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