Controversy came into play in the 1760s between Great Britain and the colonies when the Parliament looked to appoint a direct tax on the colonies for the purpose of raising capital Some colonists, known as Whigs, demurred the new tax program, saying that it was an infringement of the British Constitution. According to the Whigs, colonists could only be taxed by their own colonial assemblies and nothing else. Colonial boycotts culminated in the repeal of the Stamp Act. However, in the Declaratory Act of 1766, Parliament continued to insist that it had the right to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever.” When new taxes were established in the Townshend Revenue Act of 1767, Whig colonists again responded with even more boycotts
