Defending Taxes

When North American colonists protested at the taxes Britain was levying, Parliament replied that the colonists were still British subjects under British law, so they were subject to British taxation. Parliament said that it represented all British subjects, even the colonists across the Atlantic Ocean, who didn’t have representatives in Parliament. Using this information, imagine you are a member of the British Parliament and write a response to the colonists who are complaining about taxation with representation.

Dear Benyamin Soto

Calm yourself! For heavens sake, you are British subjects under British law, so stop your whining! This is what you deserve when you left Britain and left us with less workforce to sustain us. You brought this upon yourselves.

Oh, and those crops you give us, half of those end up rotten when they get here. And it’s all because of the fact you sail slower than you’re supposed to. You do not deserve to get representation. You have no hope of defeating our army, so you might as well live with the taxes.

If you continue to protest against our taxes, we will be forced to take action. Heed this warning, and no one will have to get hurt.

Sincerely,
Parliament