The Townshend Acts, named for Charles Townshend, placed taxes on imported goods like glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea to raise revenue and assert Parliament’s authority over the colonies. They created new customs controls, enforced smuggling trials without juries, and even suspended New York’s assembly. Colonists responded with boycotts, protests, and powerful pamphlets, escalating tensions that helped set the stage for the American Revolution and solidifying opposition to “taxation without representation.”
Revenue Act of 1767: Placed duties on imported goods and enforced their collection.
Commissioners of Customs Act (1767): Created a new customs board in Boston to crack down on smuggling.
Indemnity Act (1767): Gave the British East India Company a tax break to make its tea cheaper than smuggled tea.
New York Restraining Act (1767): Suspended New York's assembly until they complied with the Quartering Act.
Vice-Admiralty Court Act (1768): Created courts without juries for smuggling trials, seen as unfair.
