Final answer:
The missing word in the phrase by James Otis is "representation," which underlines the colonial argument against British-imposed taxes without their direct input in Parliament. This concept was rooted in the British tradition of direct representation and the right to consent to taxation.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1760s, political activist James Otis is credited with the phrase "taxation without representation is tyranny." The missing word in this phrase is representation. This slogan became a rallying point during the era leading to the American Revolutionary War and highlighted the colonists' frustration with British tax law. Colonists believed that they should not be taxed by a government unless they had representatives in that government to voice their concerns and interests—hence, no taxation without representation.
Colonial political systems and ideologies were grounded in the concept of direct representation, implying that only the legislators elected by the people had the authority to impose internal taxes. When the British Parliament levied taxes for the defense of the colonial frontier and the upkeep of British troops without colonial input, this principle was violated, leading to widespread claims of tyranny. The right to consent to taxation, seen in historical documents such as Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, was a cornerstone of British liberty that American colonists felt was being denied to them.