History quiz

Why did James Otis say to taxation without representation?

"Taxation without representation" was a slogan used by James Otis and some other colonists to protest British policies of taxing the colonies without giving them any representation in Parliament. The phrase, as expressed by Otis in a speech before the Massachusetts legislature in 1764, was:

> "No legislation shall be valid without consent of the person, or persons affected thereby."

The British Parliament responded by passing the Stamp Act in 1765, which imposed a tax on all paper goods in the colonies. This led to widespread protests and boycotts, and eventually to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. In 1774, the Parliament responded to the protests by passing the Coercive Acts, which closed the port of Boston and imposed other harsh restrictions on the colony. These acts further enraged the colonists and helped to bring about the American Revolution in 1775.