The Townshend duties were a series of taxes imposed by the British Parliament on goods imported into the American colonies. These taxes were named after Charles Townshend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Related terms
Stamp Act: A tax imposed on printed materials in the colonies, which led to widespread protests and boycotts.
Tea Act: An act that gave a monopoly on tea trade in America to the British East India Company, leading to events like the Boston Tea Party.
Intolerable Acts: A series of punitive measures passed by Britain as a response to colonial resistance, including closing down Boston Harbor and increasing control over Massachusetts' government.