Which figure helped write the Articles of Confederation and argued that British taxes were illegal under British law, citing "Letters From A Farmer in Pennsylvania"?

• A. John Dickinson
• B. James Otis
• C. Samuel Seabury
• D. Jonathan Mayhew

Answer: (A)

John Dickinson is the figure who fits both parts. He drafted the Articles of Confederation, providing the framework for the first American government, and he authored Letters From a Farmer in Pennsylvania, where he argued that British taxes on the colonies were illegal under British law because Parliament had no right to tax without colonists’ representation and consent. He emphasized that Parliament could regulate trade but could not levy internal taxes on the colonies, a position grounded in the rights of Englishmen and the colonial charters. This combination—advancing a constitutional framework for federation while articulating the illegality of taxation without representation—is why he is the best answer. The other figures are associated with colonial debate or revolutionary thought, but none pair these two specific contributions.