Was the Townshend Act an act of taxation without representation?

Answer 1

~There was no such thing as "taxation without representation" in the American colonies. The colonials had every bit as much representation as did all British subjects the world over. That no representative from the colonies was seated in Parliament is irrelevant (and bear in mind the the colonists ever asked for the appointment of one of their own - neither did the Canadian or West Indies colonists) because the colonists were well aware of how Parliamentary representation worked. Each MP is charged with the duty of looking out for the interests of ALL British subjects, not just select groups of them and for the welfare and the good of the Empire as a whole.

The Townshend taxes were lower than those they replaced. The taxes were imposed because the cost of the Seven Years War (included the minor North American theater which you may know as the French and Indian War) had left Great Britain in an economic shambles. Parliament decided it was high time that the colonists paid some of the freight for the protection and aid they had received from home since the colonies were first settled.

What upset the colonists was that the taxes, for once, were being collected. Previously, the rampant tax evasion and smuggling of the colonists had been largely ignored. Now, with the depression on the home isles and near collapse of the economy, the revenue was vital for the survival of the nation. The colonists didn't care.

Answer 2

The 4 Townshend Acts were examples of of taxation without representation, and also posed an immediate threat to established traditions of colonial self-government, especially the practice of taxation through representative provincial assemblies. They were resisted everywhere with verbal agitation and physical violence, deliberate evasion of duties, renewed nonimportation agreements among merchants, and overt acts of hostility toward British enforcement agents, especially in Boston. Such colonial tumult, coupled with the instability of frequently changing British ministries, resulted, on March 5, 1770 (the same day as the Boston Massacre), in repeal of all revenue duties except that on tea, lifting of the Quartering Act requirements, and removal of troops from Boston, which thus temporarily averted hostilities.

Answer 3

Yes, because the tax didn't allow the colonists direct representation in Parliament.