“Our call is my super biggest beggars in the world if such small duties appear to be intolerable burdened in their eyes” —“Pacificus”, Maryland gazette, March 20, 1766
This excerpt is from a citizen in England, in response to the colonial outrage for the stamp act. What central argument of the American colonists against the stamp act is not understood by the writer?
A. That trade was heavily restricted to the taxes, which made it difficult for the colonist to make enough money to live, let alone pay the taxes.
B. That, although the tax is small it is the idea that the colonist have to repay the British government for a war they did not support that is unjust
C. That it is not the amount of tax that is the problem, but rather the fact that the colonist were not involved in passing the tax.
D. That’s a tax may seem small to those in England, but for the American colonist, it is a very large amount of money.
D. That’s a tax may seem small to those in England, but for the American colonist, it is a very large amount of money.
The central argument of the American colonists against the stamp act that is not understood by the writer is:
C. 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.
The writer seems to believe that the size of the tax is the main issue, but the American colonists were more concerned with the lack of representation in the decision-making process regarding the tax. They believed they should have a say in the laws and taxes that affected them, as they did not have direct representation in the British government.
The central argument of the American colonists against the stamp act that is not understood by the writer of the excerpt is option C: 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.
To determine the correct answer, we need to carefully analyze the given options and consider the context of the American colonists' opposition to the stamp act.
Option A mentions that trade was heavily restricted and it was difficult for the colonists to make enough money to live and pay the taxes. While this was certainly an issue for the colonists, it is not the central argument being referred to in the excerpt.
Option B suggests that the unjust aspect of the tax is the idea that colonists have to repay the British government for a war they did not support. This is a valid argument made by the colonists, but it is not the central argument being referred to in the excerpt.
Option D states that the tax may seem small to those in England but is a large amount for the American colonists. This is a valid concern raised by the colonists, but it is not the central argument the writer of the excerpt fails to understand.
The correct answer, therefore, is option C. The writer does not understand that the central argument of the American colonists against the stamp act is that it is not the amount of tax that is the problem but rather the fact that they were not involved in passing the tax. The colonists believed that they were being taxed without representation, which violated their rights as English citizens.