The Declaratory Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1766 in response to the growing tensions between Britain and its American colonies. The act was meant to clarify that the British Parliament had the right to make laws for the colonies in all cases, even if those laws were not explicitly mentioned in the colonies' charters.
The Declaratory Act was seen by many colonists as a violation of their rights as British subjects. They argued that they had the right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. The passage of the Declaratory Act helped to fuel the growing dissatisfaction with British rule in the colonies and contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775.