Final answer:
The statement that colonists refused to defend themselves against British Red Coats is false; they armed themselves during the American Revolution. Most colonists weren't entirely self-sufficient as they needed manufactured goods from Britain. It's true that the issue with taxation was not the taxes themselves but the lack of representation in their imposition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The colonists refused to arm and defend themselves against the British Red Coats is false. In fact, the colonists did arm themselves and engaged in a revolutionary war against British rule, which is known as the American Revolution. There were multiple instances where the colonists formed militias and fought against the British forces, as seen in the battles of Lexington and Concord. Regarding the statement that most colonists in eighteenth century North America were largely self-sufficient, this is false. While it is true that many colonists could support their basic needs through agriculture and local trade, they still relied on Britain for manufactured goods and for trade purposes. When it comes to colonial taxation, the statement that the colonists did not necessarily object to the principle of taxation, but rather how the tax money would be applied, is true. The colonists were particularly upset with taxation without representation, meaning they felt that taxes imposed by the British Parliament were illegitimate without having their own representatives in that body.