Taxation in Colonial America

by Rabushka, Alvin

• ISBN13: 9780691133454
• ISBN10: 069113345X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-02-04
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

Taxation in Colonial Americaexamines life in the thirteen original American colonies through the revealing lens of the taxes levied on and by the colonists. Spanning the turbulent years from the founding of the Jamestown settlement to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Alvin Rabushka provides the definitive history of taxation in the colonial era, and sets it against the backdrop of enormous economic, political, and social upheaval in the colonies and Europe. Rabushka shows how the colonists strove to minimize, avoid, and evade British and local taxation, and how they used tax incentives to foster settlement. He describes the systems of public finance they created to reduce taxation, and reveals how they gained control over taxes through elected representatives in colonial legislatures. Rabushka takes a comprehensive look at the external taxes imposed on the colonists by Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden, as well as internal direct taxes like poll and income taxes. He examines indirect taxes like duties and tonnage fees, as well as county and town taxes, church and education taxes, bounties, and other charges. He links the types and amounts of taxes with the means of payment--be it gold coins, agricultural commodities, wampum, or furs--and he compares tax systems and burdens among the colonies and with Britain. This book brings the colonial period to life in all its rich complexity, and shows how colonial attitudes toward taxation offer a unique window into the causes of the revolution.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. xi
Preface
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 1
Founding the American Colonies	p. 19
The First Wave	p. 23
The Middle Wave	p. 42
The Th ird Wave	p. 56
Appendix: List of Tax Incentives in Founding and Settlement of the American Colonies	p. 64
Turmoil in England--Growth in the Colonies, 1607-1688	p. 65
Constitutional Government and Politics in England, 1607-1688	p. 71
Imperial Governance: Constitutional and Commercial Policy, 1607-1688	p. 92
The Colonial Constitution, 1607-1688	p. 118
Taxation of the New En gland Colonies, 1620-1688	p. 144
Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1624-1688	p. 199
Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1607-1688	p. 228
Appendix: Taxation in the American Colonies, 1688	p. 267
War in Europe--Opportunity in the Colonies, 1688-1714	p. 271
Constitutional Government and Politics in En gland, 1688-1714	p. 275
Imperial Governance: Constitutional and Commercial Policy, 1688-1714	p. 301
The Colonial Constitution, 1688-1714	p. 325
Taxation of the New En gland Colonies, 1688-1714	p. 355
Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1688-1714	p. 399
Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1688-1714	p. 416
Appendix: Tax Burdens in the American Colonies, 1714	p. 437
Salutary Neglect in the Colonies, 1714-1739	p. 441
Imperial Governance and the Colonial Constitution, 1714-1739	p. 445
Taxation of the New En gland Colonies, 1714-1739	p. 454
Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1714-1739	p. 490
Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1714-1739	p. 519
Appendix: Taxes in the American Colonies, 1739	p. 556
War, Debt, Money, and Taxes: Prelude to Imperial Intervention, 1739-1763	p. 559
Imperial Governance and the Colonial Constitution, 1739-1763	p. 563
Taxation of the New En gland Colonies, 1739-1763	p. 575
Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1739-1763	p. 624
Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1739-1763	p. 657
An American Tax, 1763-1775	p. 713
British Politics, Imperial Governance, and Colonial Government and Politics, 1763-1775	p. 717
British Taxation of the American Colonies, 1763-1775	p. 749
Taxation of the New En gland Colonies, 1763-1775	p. 766
Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1763-1775	p. 797
Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1763-1775	p. 826
Conclusion	p. 865
Appendix	p. 871
Bibliography	p. 891
Index	p. 915
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