In 1767, Charles Townshend, made a promise that he would make up the debt of the British so that the English parliament did not have to cut the land tax of the British in order to balance the budget.This promise was known to be the Townshend Acts. Under the Townshend Acts there are five laws that are often mentioned: the Revenue Act of 1767, the Indemnity Act, the Commissioners of Customs Act, the Vice Admiralty Court Act, and the New York Restraining Act. The Townshend Acts were made to collect revenue from the colonist in order to pay off British debt. The colonist rationale was “No taxation without representation!” because they knew it was just another way for British to gain money for their debts. This caused rebellions, boycotts and plenty of protests. The Townshend Acts just gave the colonist another reason why they should fight for their independence.
The Townshend Acts were introduced soon after the British ministry was seized by the unpredictable Charles Townshend, also known as “Champagne Charley”. Although unstable, Townshend was gifted in a way that he could deliver the most brilliant speeches in Parliament, even while drunk. He persuaded Parliament, in 1767 that he would begin to tax the colonists in order to make up the difference of debt. In order pay off the debt, Townshend placed a light import duty on glass, white lead, paper, paint and tea. This was the first out of the five acts in the Townshend Acts, called the Revenue Act of 1767. Townshend had to be very careful not to put direct taxes, but to make them indirect. Townshend also had to choose certain items that would not hurt British trade but still be able to collect enough income from the colonists. The colonist reaction was the same to the other taxes, “No taxation, without representation!”. Also, the Patriots encouraged the use of smuggling as a protest of the Townshend Acts. Lastly, the