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John Dickinson Letters From A Farmer Summary

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Author: Letter VII From a Farmer was created by John Dickinson. Dickinson was born in Maryland in 1732 and published attacks on British reforms in a 1765 pamphlet, The Late Regulations Respecting the British Colonies. He wrote a series of twelve essays attaching the Townshend duties anonymously under the pen name “A Farmer”. The author’s point of view is that the British are oppressing and enslaving the colonists by means of the Townshend duties. Place and Time: This source was written in 1768 and appeared in the Pennsylvania Chronicle on January 11, 1768. This was right around the time when the British were taxing the colonist relentlessly, which clearly influenced the topic of this essay. Prior Knowledge: Prior to reading this document, …show more content…

This meant that Dickinson was probably writing in order to convince both the colonists and the British that the taxes are immoral and wrong. He seems to word his grievances more politely than other writers of the time, showing that he knows that this document might go all the way to the hands of the British. Reason: Letters VII to a Farmer was produced to show that Britain's policies were wrong and deprived the colonies of their lawful rights. Therefore, Dickinson wrote this with a moderate and reasoned approach, but at the same time he recommended concerted action. Ultimately, Letters from a Farmer urge united action on the part of the colonists. The Main Idea: This source is trying to convey the difference between indirect and direct taxes and explain why even a small tax might lead to oppression. Direct taxes are when the government imposes a certain sum on goods that is meant to be paid by the consumer. When a person pays this kind of tax, he/she know how much and why he is paying. However, with indirect taxes, the government imposes a tax on goods that is meant to be paid by the seller. With this type of tax, the common people do not know how much or if they are paying taxes. Dickinson then goes on to reiterate that although the taxes may be small right now and the burden tolerable for the people, it sets a precedence that makes the colonists, in effect, slaves: “the late act is founded on the destruction

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