"Our Colonies must be the biggest Beggars in the World, if such small Duties appear to be intolerable Burdens in their Eyes."

Question

-"Pacificus," Maryland Gazette, March 20, 1766
Use the excerpt to answer the question.
This excerpt is from a citizen in England in response to the colonial outrage toward the Stamp Act.
What central argument of the American colonists against the Stamp Act is not understood by the writer?
(1 point)
O that trade was heavily restricted due to the taxes, which made it difficult for the colonists to make
enough money to live let alone pay the taxes
that it is not the amount of tax that is the problem but rather the fact that the colonists were not involved in passing the tax
• that the tax may seem small to those in England but for the American colonists it is a very large
amount of money
that although the tax is small, it is the idea that the colonists have to repay the British government for a war they did not support that is unjust

Answer 1

The central argument of the American colonists against the Stamp Act that is not understood by the writer is:

that it is not the amount of tax that is the problem but rather the fact that the colonists were not involved in passing the tax.

This reflects the colonists' belief in "no taxation without representation," which asserts that it is unjust to impose taxes without the consent of those being taxed. The writer seems to focus on the size of the duties rather than the principle of representation in governance.