The '''Townshend Acts''' were two acts passed by the [[British]] [[Parliament]] prior to the [[American Revolution]]. These laws angered many colonists, because they put a tax on non-British imported [[tea]] (leading to the [[Boston Tea Party]], and other necessities. To counter [[smuggling]], the Townshend Acts also said that smugglers would be tried in Royal Navy admiralty courts, under a British military judge. This law is the reason Americans have the right to a [[Sixth Amendment|trial by jury]]. | The '''Townshend Acts''' were two acts passed by the [[British]] [[Parliament]] prior to the [[American Revolution]]. These laws angered many colonists, because they put a tax on non-British imported [[tea]] (leading to the [[Boston Tea Party]], and other necessities. To counter [[smuggling]], the Townshend Acts also said that smugglers would be tried in Royal Navy admiralty courts, under a British military judge. This law is the reason Americans have the right to a [[Sixth Amendment|trial by jury]]. |