Taxation Without Representation
Any laws passed taxing the colonists were illegal under the Bill of Rights. The British Parliament had controlled colonial trade and taxed imports and exports since 1660. By the 1760's, the Americans were being deprived of a historic right. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 had forbidden the imposition of taxes without the consent of Parliament. People living in the 13 colonies did not have direct representatives in the British Parliament. Parliament was made up entirely of members representing all areas of England, but none from the colonies in North America, India, Africa or Australia. Colonist had no way to to vote for how they would be taxed or who would represent them. Taxation without representation caused an uproar in the American Colonies and is a very significant idea that contributed to the American Revolution. "No taxation without representation" even became the motto for the Sons of Liberty.