The phrase "Letters From A Farmer in Pennsylvania" is associated with which figure, known for arguing that British taxes are illegal under British law?

The phrase "Letters From A Farmer in Pennsylvania" is associated with which figure, known for arguing that British taxes are illegal under British law?

• A. John Dickinson
• B. Nathaniel Ward
• C. Samuel Seabury
• D. James Otis

Answer: (A)

Taxation without representation is the central idea at play. John Dickinson’s Letters From A Farmer in Pennsylvania argue that Parliament can regulate colonial trade, but it does not have the authority to raise revenue from the colonies without their consent. He treats consent as a constitutional prerequisite for taxes, rooted in the colonies’ rights under their charters and the idea that taxation should come only with representation—whether in Parliament or through colonial assemblies. Dickinson also distinguishes external duties (tariffs) from internal taxes, insisting that revenue-raising taxes imposed on the colonies without consent violate British constitutional principles. This combination of limiting Parliament’s tax power and insisting on colonial consent is why he is the figure associated with the phrase. Other figures in this era are connected to related debates but not to these letters: James Otis argued vigorously against taxation without representation but did not author this work; Samuel Seabury was a Loyalist voice opposing colonial resistance, and Nathaniel Ward is tied to earlier Puritan-era writings.

Taxation without representation is the central idea at play. John Dickinson’s Letters From A Farmer in Pennsylvania argue that Parliament can regulate colonial trade, but it does not have the authority to raise revenue from the colonies without their consent. He treats consent as a constitutional prerequisite for taxes, rooted in the colonies’ rights under their charters and the idea that taxation should come only with representation—whether in Parliament or through colonial assemblies. Dickinson also distinguishes external duties (tariffs) from internal taxes, insisting that revenue-raising taxes imposed on the colonies without consent violate British constitutional principles. This combination of limiting Parliament’s tax power and insisting on colonial consent is why he is the figure associated with the phrase. Other figures in this era are connected to related debates but not to these letters: James Otis argued vigorously against taxation without representation but did not author this work; Samuel Seabury was a Loyalist voice opposing colonial resistance, and Nathaniel Ward is tied to earlier Puritan-era writings.