Writs of Assistance

Writs of assistance were legalized by a series of acts of Parliament giving the customs officers authority to search for and seize uncustomized goods. They were supplemented by customary practices which became as much a part of the legal procedure as the law itself. The law alone was extended to America in 1767 when the colonial courts had before them no direct knowledge of the practices that had grown up in the British Court of Exchequer.

The power to search came from the authority given to the customs officers, and in practice this power was expressly stated in their commissions. The exercise of the power was directly limited in that it had to be done in the presence of a court officer. The law specifically empowered the customs officers to undertake the search. However, a writ of assistance was not a search warrant. It

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any, it could do for other companies to the detriment of the colonial mercantile community. A meeting held in Philadelphia in 1773 took the lead in opposing the act and this pressured the consignee the East India Company had appointed to resign. Similar actions were held in New York by the Sons of Liberty, but in Boston the tea consignees, who included two sons of Governor Hutchinson, refused to resign--hence the Boston Tea Party. The colonists successfully nullified the Tea Act either by destroying the tea, preventing its landing, or, as in Charleston, storing it until it was later sold by the Revolutionary government to raise funds for the War for Independence. Despite the colonists displeasure with Parliament, they remained loyal to the king during this time--believing he was being duped by his ministers. Monarchical innocence became their working assumption: the king could do no wrong. His public acts, if considered oppressive, were ascribed to his ministers. This hope had a theoretical basis as well as a tactical justification. George III's membership in the Hanover line of British kings, who were the beneficiaries of the Glorious Revolution and defenders of the Protestant succession, was emphasized in England, I
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Stamp Act, Tea Act, Thomas Paxton, Court Exchequer, Nor American, Navigation Acts, India Company, Declaration Independence, Magna Carter, Independence Despite, customs officers, writs assistance, tea act, american revolution, stamp act, petition movement, east india, boston tea, east india company, india company, parliament's tax colonies, customs officer, boston tea party,
Approximate Word count = 1761
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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