taxation without representation

American

noun

American History.

a phrase, generally attributed to James Otis about 1761, that reflected the resentment of American colonists at being taxed by a British Parliament to which they elected no representatives and became an anti-British slogan before the American Revolution; in full, “Taxation without representation is tyranny.”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As Chief Justice John Roberts explains in the majority opinion, “Recognizing the taxing power’s unique importance, and having just fought a revolution motivated in large part by ‘taxation without representation,’ the Framers gave Congress ‘alone . . . access to the pockets of the people.’

From The Wall Street Journal

Taxation without representation was but a predictable consequence of placing power in any person or institution other than the people or their freely and fairly elected representatives.

From Salon

An eighth grader would say: “Isn’t there a problem with that? Remember, we learned that in the American Revolution, they didn’t like taxation without representation. Didn’t they throw tea into the pond somewhere?”

From Slate

"The prime minister's rationale for this move is essentially a 'no taxation without representation' argument," he said.

From BBC

Amid Colonial protests against unjust taxes, the cry “no taxation without representation” lit a rebellious spark.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023