Explain why the colonists objected to such things as writs of assistance and vice-admiralty courts.

The
colonists did not like these laws, because they gave too much power to the Crown and to tax
collectors who were watching the colonists and waiting for them to break the Navigation Acts and
dodge taxes. After getting rid of the need for writs of assistance, colonial officials did not
need search warrants to catch colonists breaking British laws. Since many of the colonists put
before a jury of their peers were often acquitted due to sympathetic colonial juries, Britain
instituted admiralty courts away from colonial jurisdiction to try smugglers and tax evaders.
The colonists thought that this was quite unfair; for years, under the salutary neglect
arrangement with Britain, the colonists had enjoyed limited self-rule. This was now being
encroached upon. Many colonists thought that they were being treated as a conquered people
rather than as political and social equals to people living in England. The invasive nature of
British tax collection partially led to the Revolutionary War and was a major reason that the
Bill of Rights was inserted into the Constitution. Part of this document protects American
citizens from unlawful search and seizure and guarantees one a jury of one's peers during a
trial.