Final answer:
The slogan "no taxation without representation" was a protest cry against British taxation policies, asserting that taxes should only be levied with the direct consent of the governed, which the colonists lacked in the British Parliament. It reflected the belief that taxation without direct representation was a denial of the colonists' rights as English subjects.
Step-by-step explanation:
The slogan "no taxation without representation" encapsulates the core grievance of the American colonists against British policy. It reflected the colonists' belief that direct representation in the legislative body imposing taxes was a fundamental right. This conception was rooted in the long-standing English tradition that taxes required the consent of the taxed, through their representatives.
Under the British system of virtual representation, members of Parliament acted on behalf of all British subjects, including the colonists, whether or not those subjects could vote for them. However, the American colonists saw this as a violation of their rights as English subjects since they had no direct representatives in Parliament, who could consent to taxation on their behalf. The British Parliament had difficulty understanding this, as the notion that every tax must be consented to by directly elected representatives was not a universally accepted principle within Britain itself.