▁of ▁I ps wich ▁had ▁been ▁most ▁vocal ▁in ▁their ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁law ; ▁they ▁were ▁tried ▁and ▁conv icted ▁of ▁mis de mean or ▁off enses . ▁ ▁The ▁other ▁provinces ▁did ▁not ▁resist ▁the ▁im position ▁of ▁the ▁new ▁law , ▁even ▁though ▁the ▁rates ▁were ▁higher ▁than ▁they ▁had ▁been ▁under ▁the ▁previous ▁colonial ▁administration , ▁at ▁least ▁in ▁Rh ode ▁Island . ▁P ly mouth ' s ▁relatively ▁poor ▁land own ers ▁were ▁hard ▁hit ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁high ▁rates ▁on ▁liv est ock . ▁ ▁Town ▁meeting ▁laws ▁One ▁consequence ▁of ▁the ▁tax ▁protest ▁was ▁that ▁And ros ▁sought ▁to ▁restrict ▁town ▁meet ings , ▁since ▁these ▁were ▁where ▁that ▁protest ▁had ▁begun . ▁He , ▁therefore , ▁introduced ▁a ▁law ▁that ▁limited ▁meet ings ▁to ▁a ▁single ▁annual ▁meeting , ▁sole ly ▁for ▁the ▁purpose ▁of ▁elect ing ▁officials , ▁and ▁explicitly ▁b anning ▁meet ings ▁at ▁other ▁times ▁for ▁any ▁reason . ▁This ▁loss ▁of ▁local ▁power ▁was ▁widely ▁h ated . ▁Many ▁protest s ▁were ▁made ▁that ▁the ▁town ▁meeting ▁and ▁tax ▁laws ▁were ▁viol ations ▁of ▁the ▁Mag na ▁Cart a , ▁which ▁guaranteed ▁tax ation ▁by ▁represent atives ▁of ▁the ▁people . ▁ ▁Land ▁titles ▁and ▁tax es ▁And ros ▁de alt ▁a ▁major ▁blow ▁to ▁the ▁colon ists ▁by ▁challeng ing ▁their ▁title ▁to ▁the ▁land ; ▁unlike ▁England , ▁the ▁great ▁majority ▁of ▁Americans ▁were ▁land - own ers . ▁Taylor ▁says ▁that , ▁because ▁they ▁" reg arded ▁secure