Townshend Acts

American  

[toun-zuhnd] / ˈtaʊn zənd /

plural noun

American History.

1. acts of the British Parliament in 1767, especially the act that placed duties on tea, paper, lead, paint, etc., imported into the American colonies.

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Etymology

Origin of Townshend Acts

Named after Charles Townshend (1725–67), English statesman, their sponsor

Example Sentences

In 1767 the Townshend Acts had placed duties on imports including glass, paper and tea.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

From Britain’s Townshend Acts of 1767, which helped fuel the American Revolution, to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930, which deepened the Great Depression, tariffs have proved politically toxic.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Wall panels remind us of the Townshend Acts, the Tea Act and the Boston Massacre, all seminal events that led the Colonies to eventually break away from Britain.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

The experience of resisting the Townshend Acts provided another shared experience among colonists from diverse regions and backgrounds, while the partial repeal convinced many that liberty had once again been defended.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

Later he says, "The colonial merchants again resorted to the non-importation agreements as the most effectual means of compelling Britain to repeal the Townshend Acts."

From Introduction to Non-Violence by Paullin, Theodore