Before the Revolutionary War, the American colonies had no seats in the British Parliament. Out of all the Empire, only Scotland and Wales were actually represented in the Parliament (besides England).
This lack of representation was one of the main reasons why the Revolutionary War started. Colonists argued that if they had no one to represent their interests in Parliament, then they could not be legitimately taxed. To impose a practice like that would be tyranny. This way of thinking was summarized in the motto: "no taxation without representation" and was a driving force in the fight for independence.
