The Townsend Acts and the Revenue Act

The townsend acts actually refer to five interrelated bills, including one designed to help shore up the floundering east india company. One bill specifically targeted the new york assembly for their failure to comply with the quartering act of 17 65. The revenue act levied import duties on lead, glass, paper, printer, ink and tea - exactly the kind of trade base taxes the colonists themselves had just said parliament was allowed to levy. In response to the townsand Acts letters from a pennsylvania farmer written by john dickinson furthered the argument that parliament did not have the right to tax the colonies under any circumstances.