The Townshend Acts or Charles Townshend are the current denomination of two decisions of the English Parlement voted in 1767 and proposed by Charles Townshend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, little before his death.
These laws instituted a tax on the raw materials imported in the American colonies, like lead, paper, painting, glass and the (however they did not institute a tax on the Soie). In comparison with the Stamp Act of 1765, these laws did not institute a direct tax, but a tax of importation. The Townshend Acts also instituted three news maritime courses in order to judge those which would not respect the new laws. These last intervene in a difficult context for the English budget, largely overdrawn since the Guerre Seven Year old. The objective of the Townshend laws was to gain: 40000 pounds each year to finance the colonial administration.
Reactions of the colonists
The Townshend Acts raised the reprobation of the American colonists, as the Lettres of a farmer of Pennsylvania to the inhabitants of the British colonies of the lawyer John Dickinson indicates it (1732-1808). They took again the slogan of James Otis No Taxation without Representation (“No taxes without democracy”). They bought foreign goods in smuggling and developed the boycott of the English products. The Fils of Freedom organized the rebellion with Boston; the women made in the same way within the organization of the Filles of Freedom ( Daughters off Liberty ). During the summer 1768, the agents of the customs confiscated a Sloop pertaining to John Hancock, shown to violate the commercial payments. Crowd took by storm the customs, obliging the agents to take refuge on an English warship wetting in the port. The English troops accepted reinforcements to maintain the calm one in Boston. The Townshend taxes reported only 300 pounds per annum, whereas the British military presence cost some: 170000. London had to go into reverse in front of the boycott of the goods and the laws were repealed in 1770, even if the tax on the were maintained.
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