“Our Colonies must be the biggest Beggars in the World, if such small Duties appear to be intolerable Burdens in their Eyes.” —“Pacificus,” Maryland Gazette, March 20, 1766
This excerpt is from a citizen in England in response to the colonial outrage toward the Stamp Act. What central argument of the American colonists against the Stamp Act is not understood by the writer?
a.that the tax may seem small to those in England but for the American colonists it is a very large amount of money
b.that trade was heavily restricted due to the taxes, which made it difficult for the colonists to make enough money to live let alone pay the taxes
c.that although the tax is small, it is the idea that the colonists have to repay the British government for a war they did not support that is unjust
d.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.
b. that trade was heavily restricted due to the taxes, which made it difficult for the colonists to make enough money to live let alone pay the taxes
The central argument of the American colonists against the Stamp Act that is not understood by the writer is:
d. 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 central argument of the American colonists against the Stamp Act that is not understood by the writer is d. 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 understand this, it is important to have some background knowledge. The Stamp Act was a tax imposed by the British Parliament on various printed materials in the American colonies. The American colonists argued that they should have representation in the British Parliament if they were being taxed, as they believed in the principle of "no taxation without representation." They felt that it was unjust for the British government to impose taxes on them without their input or consent.
To get to the answer, you can analyze the provided excerpt: "Our Colonies must be the biggest Beggars in the World if such small Duties appear to be intolerable Burdens in their Eyes." The writer of the excerpt is expressing disbelief or confusion that the American colonists are outraged by the small taxes imposed by the Stamp Act. However, the writer fails to understand that the central argument of the American colonists is not based solely on the amount of the tax but rather on the lack of representation in the decision-making process.
Therefore, the answer is d. 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.