William Pitt, a defender of colonial rights, ridiculed virtual representation, calling it "the most contemptible idea that ever entered into the head of a man it does not deserve serious refutation." Parliament rejected criticism of the concept, and passed the Declaratory Act in 1766, asserting the right of Parliament to legislate for the colonies "all cases whatsoever."Īt the time of the American Revolution, only England and Wales and Scotland were directly represented in the Parliament of Great Britain among the many parts of the British Empire. Virtual representation stated that the members of Parliament spoke for the interests of all British subjects rather than for the interests of only the district that elected them. George Grenville defended all the taxes by arguing that the colonists were virtually represented in Parliament, a position that had critics on both sides of the Atlantic. This concept was famously expressed as " No taxation without representation." Because the colonists were represented only in their provincial assemblies, they said, only those legislatures could levy taxes in the colonies. ![]() According to the British constitution, colonists argued, taxes could only be levied on British subjects with their consent. In the early stages of the American Revolution, colonists in the Thirteen Colonies rejected legislation imposed upon them by the British Parliament because the colonies were not represented.
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