The fear of British rule led to the formation of a government under the Articles of Confederation that held differences with the British government. The Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and Townshend Acts imposed taxes on the colonists without representation, and colonists feared the loss of the right to practice self-taxation through representation. This caused the government under the Articles to have no power to levy taxes or regulate commerce. The Sugar Act put smugglers on trial in Vice-Admiralty courts where they would not be judged by their peers. The Articles denied the national government a court system. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense suggested that the king was at fault for their grievances. Unsurprisingly, the Articles of Confederation only created a legislative branch. The passing of the Quebec Act, which did not provide the French with the right to trial by jury, gave colonists the idea that the government was restricting natural rights and
The fear of British rule led to the formation of a government under the Articles of Confederation that held differences with the British government. The Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and Townshend Acts imposed taxes on the colonists without representation, and colonists feared the loss of the right to practice self-taxation through representation. This caused the government under the Articles to have no power to levy taxes or regulate commerce. The Sugar Act put smugglers on trial in Vice-Admiralty courts where they would not be judged by their peers. The Articles denied the national government a court system. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense suggested that the king was at fault for their grievances. Unsurprisingly, the Articles of Confederation only created a legislative branch. The passing of the Quebec Act, which did not provide the French with the right to trial by jury, gave colonists the idea that the government was restricting natural rights and