The principle that colonists needed representation in Parliament if taxed was first articulated in which resolution?

• A. Indirect tax
• B. Direct tax
• C. No taxation without representation
• D. Proclamation Line

Answer: (C)

The main idea tested is that people being taxed must have a say in how they’re taxed—that is, taxation requires representation. The best choice is the phrase “No taxation without representation,” because it directly names that demand and became the banner for colonial opposition to British taxes.

Historically, colonists argued that Parliament could not tax them unless they had representation in Parliament through their own elected delegates. This idea surfaced during the Stamp Act crisis and was stated in colonial resolutions, notably in the Virginia Resolves and the Stamp Act Congress’s declarations, which asserted that taxation without colonial consent was illegitimate. The other options don’t express this concept: indirect and direct taxes are types of taxes, not political principles; and the Proclamation Line dealt with western settlement, not taxation or representation.