Taxation in Colonial America

Inscribed by Rabushka on half-title page. First Edition, first printing with full number line. Beige cloth boards with gilt lettered spine. Near fine in a near fine jacket. Clean and unmarked. Dust jacket in archival mylar sleeve. Index. pp. xx, 946. ''Taxation in Colonial America examines life in the thirteen original American colonies through the revealing lens of the taxes levied on and by the colonists. Spanning the turbulent years from the founding of the Jamestown settlement to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Alvin Rabushka provides the definitive history of taxation in the colonial era, and sets it against the backdrop of enormous economic, political, and social upheaval in the colonies and Europe. ''Rabushka shows how the colonists strove to minimize, avoid, and evade British and local taxation, and how they used tax incentives to foster settlement. He describes the systems of public finance they created to reduce taxation, and reveals how they gained control over taxes through elected representatives in colonial legislatures. Rabushka takes a comprehensive look at the external taxes imposed on the colonists by Britain, the Netherlands, and Sweden, as well as internal direct taxes like poll and income taxes. He examines indirect taxes like duties and tonnage fees, as well as county and town taxes, church and education taxes, bounties, and other charges. He links the types and amounts of taxes with the means of payment--be it gold coins, agricultural commodities, wampum, or furs--and he compares tax systems and burdens among the colonies and with Britain. ''This book brings the colonial period to life in all its rich complexity, and shows how colonial attitudes toward taxation offer a unique window into the causes of the revolution.'' [dust jacket flap] Alvin Rabushka (b. 1940) is an American political scientist. He is a David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and member of the Mont Pelerin Society. He is best known for his work on taxation and transition economies. Contents: [Introduction]. [Part One: Founding the American Colonies] 1. The First Wave. 2. The Second Wave. 3. The Third Wave. Appendix: List of Tax Incentives in Founding and Settlement of the American Colonies. [Part Two: Turmoil in England - Growth in the Colonies, 1607-1688] 4. Constitutional Government and Politics in England. 5. Imperial Governance: Constitutional and Commercial Policy. 6. The Colonial Constitution. 7. Taxation of the New England Colonies. 8. Taxation of the Middle Colonies. 9. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies. Appendix: Taxation in the American Colonies, 1688. [Part Three: War in Europe - Opportunity in the Colonies, 1688-1714] 10. Constitutional Government and Politics in England. 11. Imperial Governance: Constitutional and Commercial Policy. 12. The Colonial Constitution. 13. Taxation of the New England Colonies. 14. Taxation of the Middle Colonies. 15. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies. Appendix: Tax Burdens in the American Colonies, 1714. [Part Four: Salutary Neglect in the Colonies, 1714-1739] 16. Imperial Governance and the Colonial Constitution. 17. Taxation of the New England Colonies. 18. Taxation of the Middle Colonies. 19. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies. Appendix: Taxes in the American Colonies, 1739. [Part Five: War, Debt, Money, and Taxes: Prelude to Imperial Intervention, 1739-1763] 20. Imperial Governance and the Colonial Constitution. 21. Taxation of the New England Colonies. 22. Taxation of the Middle Colonies. 23. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies. [Part Six: An American Tax, 1763-1775] 24. British Politics, Imperial Governance, and Colonial Government and Politics. 25. British Taxation of the American Colonies. 26. Taxation of the New England Colonies. 27. Taxation of the Middle Colonies. 28. Taxation of the Southern Plantation Colonies. [Conclusion]. Appendix. Bibliography. Index.…