Question

[This is the stem.]

Rights of Englishmen Concerning Citizens
Magna Carta, 1215 No scutage nor aid [taxes] shall be imposed on our kingdom, unless by common counsel of our kingdom...In like manner it shall be done concerning aids from the city of London.
English Bill of Rights, 1689 ...that levying money for or to the use of the Crown by pretence of prerogative, without grant of Parliament, for longer time, or in other manner than the same is or shall be granted, is illegal...
How were these Enlightenment rights strengthened in the colonies during the period of salutary neglect? 2 answers

(4 points)
Responses

Wealthy colonial landowners obtained the privilege to tax citizens.
Wealthy colonial landowners obtained the privilege to tax citizens.

British soldiers obeyed government orders to tax citizens.
British soldiers obeyed government orders to tax citizens.

Colonial assemblies assumed the right to tax citizens.
Colonial assemblies assumed the right to tax citizens.

Royal governors decided how much to tax citizens.

Answer 1

During the period of salutary neglect, the rights of Englishmen concerning taxation were strengthened in the colonies primarily through the following two ways:

1. **Colonial assemblies assumed the right to tax citizens.** - During this time, the colonial assemblies gained more power and autonomy. They asserted their authority to create and enforce their own tax laws, which allowed them to have a say in how their funds were raised and spent, akin to the principles established in the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights.

2. **Wealthy colonial landowners obtained the privilege to tax citizens.** - Wealthy landowners and local elites often held significant influence in colonial assemblies and governance. They played a key role in the local decision-making processes, reinforcing their ability to levy taxes on their fellow colonists. This practice further solidified the idea of representation in taxation, which echoed the rights established in English law.

These developments during the period of salutary neglect set the groundwork for the colonists' expectations of representation and their later resistance to taxation without representation from the British Crown.