| Massachusetts Circular Letter |
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The Massachusetts Circular Letter was a letter written by Samuel Adams that invited the people of Massachusetts to "maintain the liberties of America." It was written in response to the Townshend Acts which Adams argued in the letter were unconstitutional, due to the fact that the British Constitution held that no person could be deprived of life, liberty, or property without their consent. Adams went on to say that since it was impractical for the colonies to be represented, their consent could be neither asked for nor granted. He concluded in saying that while the British Government could levy Tax es in order to regulate Trade , that taxes for other purposes were illegal. In addition to the people of Massachusetts, the letter was sent to the Speakers of the Houses of Representatives of all the other colonies asking them to join in the opposition to the new taxes. The full body of the letter can be viewed here: http://www.historycentral.com/documents/MassCircular.html |
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