Taxation in Colonial America

Summary: Taxation in Colonial America examines 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.

Record details

ISBN: 9781400828708
ISBN: 1400828708
Physical Description: 1 online resource (968 pages) : illustrations
remote
Computer data.
Edition: Course book.
Publisher: Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, [2015]
Copyright: �2015

Content descriptions

General Note:	CatMonthString:march.20 Multi-User.
Formatted Contents Note:	Frontmatter -- Contents -- Illustrations -- Preface and Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The First Wave -- Chapter 2. The Middle Wave -- Chapter 3. The Third Wave -- Appendix -- Introduction -- Chapter 4. Constitutional Government and Politics in England, 1607-1688 -- Chapter 5. Imperial Governance: Constitutional and Commercial Policy, 1607-1688 -- Chapter 6. The Colonial Constitution, 1607-1688 -- Chapter 7. Taxation of the New England Colonies, 1620-1688 -- Chapter 8. Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1624-1688 -- Chapter 9. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1607-1688 -- Appendix. Taxation in the American Colonies, 1688 -- Introduction -- Chapter 10. Constitutional Government and Politics in England, 1688-1714 -- Chapter 11. Imperial Governance: Constitutional and Commercial Policy, 1688-1714 -- Chapter 12. The Colonial Constitution, 1688-1714 -- Chapter 13. Taxation of the New England Colonies, 1688-1714 -- Chapter 14. Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1688-1714 -- Chapter 15. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1688-1714 -- Appendix. Tax Burdens in the American Colonies, 1714 -- Introduction -- Chapter 16. Imperial Governance and the Colonial Constitution, 1714-1739 -- Chapter 17. Taxation of the New England Colonies, 1714-1739 -- Chapter 18. Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1714-1739 -- Chapter 19. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1714-1739 -- Appendix. Taxes in the American Colonies, 1739 -- Intervention -- Chapter 20. Imperial Governance and the Colonial Constitution, 1739-1763 -- Chapter 21. Taxation of the New England Colonies, 1739-1763 -- Chapter 22. Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1739-1763 -- Chapter 23. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1739-1763 -- Introduction -- Chapter 24. British Politics, Imperial Governance, and Colonial Government and Politics, 1763-1775 -- Chapter 25. British Taxation of the American Colonies, 1763-1775 -- Chapter 26. Taxation of the New England Colonies, 1763-1775 -- Chapter 27. Taxation of the Middle Colonies, 1763-1775 -- Chapter 28. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies, 1763-1775 -- Conclusion -- Appendix -- Bibliography -- Index.
Type of Computer File or Data Note:	Text (HTML), electronic book.
System Details Note:	Mode of access: Internet.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Note:	Access requires VIU IP addresses and is restricted to VIU students, faculty and staff. Access restricted by subscription.
Biographical or Historical Data:	RabushkaAlvin: Alvin Rabushka is the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His books include The Flat Tax.
Language Note:	In English.
Issuing Body Note:	Made available online by EBSCO.
Source of Description Note:	Online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed October 27 2015).