British Public Opposition Surrounding the Townshend Duties Crisis

Between 1767 and 1768, the British Parliament passed a series of five laws commonly known as the Townshend Duties which placed new taxes and controls over the American colonies. Coming off the back of the recent Stamp Act Crisis, these laws were similarly met with protest and boycotts by the American colonists prompting some in Britain to express their opposition to these laws. This thesis seeks to answer why did members of the British public engage in written opposition to the Townshend Duties? Through an examination of newspapers and petitions as representations of public opinion, this thesis argues that public opposition grew out of largely economic concerns due to the fear of a worsening trade relationship across the Atlantic that Britons were dependent on. In addition, it argues that factional conflict within Parliament and the concern over political overreach were also catalysts for this opposition, particularly in the context of the John Wilkes Crisis and its accompanying petitioning movement.