After
much wrangling, the motion was carried, and the first blunder of the mother
country seemed to have been smoothed over.
Only a few months elapsed, however, when the question of taxing the colonies was
revived. Pitt lay ill, and could take no part in the proposed measure. Through
the influence of other members of his party,--notably Townshend,--a series of
acts were passed, imposing duties on several exports to America. This was
followed by a suspension of the New York Assembly, because it had disregarded
instructions in the matter of supplies for the troops. The colonists were
furious. Matters went from bad to worse. To withdraw as far as possible without
yielding the principle at stake, the duties on all the exports mentioned in the
bill were removed, except that on tea. But it was precisely the principle for
which the colonists were contending. They were not in the humor for compromise,
when they believed their freedom was endangered, and the strength and
determination of their resistance found a climax in the Boston Tea Party.
In the meantime, Lord North, who was absolutely obedient to the king, had become
prime minister.
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