Arguments Against The Stamp Act

Hundreds of years ago, there was a war that made the British stop controlling the American colonies and made what is today the United States of America. The colonies were huge underdogs with poor amounts of supplies and clothing, but surprisingly found a way to victory and got their independence from the British. Since the war, America has been an independent and powerful country in the world as they still are today. Sparks flew in colonist anger as British Parliament passed acts that America thought were unreasonable, such as the stamp act, this act was in place so the British could raise money. The colonists at this time had to buy stamps that were imprinted into paper goods, newspapers, documents, advertisements, and playing cards. The stamp act was one of the most hated acts by the Americans since it applied to everyone and they always needed the stamps. Another act the British made was a series of taxes called the townshend acts in 1767. This act was a tax on all imported goods, and made the Patriots

Just the other day a fellow colonist asked me if I thought the Stamp Act was justified. Not only do I not find the Stamp Act justified, I find it absurd! Paying a tax on newspapers, legal documents, licenses, and even playing cards is something that would only come straight from England! Prime Minister George Grenville was wrong about the Sugar Act and he is wrong about the Stamp Act too. While I understand that our sweet Jesus said “…Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's,” in Mark 12:17, (Life Application Study Bible 2007) I think us colonist are giving our fair share to Caesar, or in our case England. The Stamp Act is a way “to make the colonists pay part of the cost of stationing British troops” (Hinschelwood

     The passing of the Stamp Act by Parliament in 1765 caused a rush of angry protests by the colonists in British America that perhaps "aroused and unified Americans as no previous political event ever had." It levied a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspapers, and nearly every other form of paper used in the colonies. Adding to this hardship was the need for the tax to be paid in British sterling, not in colonial paper money. Although this duty had been in effect in England for over half a century and was already in effect in several colonies in the 1750?s, it called into question the authority of Parliament over the overseas colonies that had no representation therein.

The American Revolution is a historical event that led to who we are today as an independent country. Back in the mid 1700s, the French and Indian War broke out and ended in the year of 1763. The British are in a massive debt that would harm their economy if not fixed. To fix this, the British has set taxes for the colonists to help repay their debt as a fee for their protection. However, the British collected the tax in such a way that it would be unlawful.

The Stamp Act Congress Declaration of Rights and Grievances was a petition to the king and the two houses of Parliament asking for colonial position in the government if they were to be taxed. The Declaration of Independence is a statement from the colonial government wishing to cut ties with England and to be their own governing force. Both were, in a sense, documents that asked of England to change their ways of governing the colonies. While both articles are mostly different in how they ask for that change, there are some similarities in them culturally; even though they are years apart. First, both of the documents call out the militia-based courts set in place by the king. The Stamp Act Congress states in title VII, "That trial by jury is the inherent and invaluable right of every British subject in these colonies" (p. 90) and one of the grievances on why the colonies wish to succeed from England in the Declaration of Independence is "For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury" (p A69).

After 2.5 million dollars, that we paid to help you in the war. You still expect us to pay this new tax. After seven years of war, a war that we paid you through. Now you are in debt, and want us to pay more and more money, money that we don’t have. The colonists are upset because of the Stamp Act, a tax on all paper goods, to help pay England's debts. Upset and poor the colonists were determined to find a way to abolish the stamp act. Our families, our pocket books, and we aren’t used to change..

In 1765, the English king was terribly in debt after the French and Indian War. His solution? The infamous Stamp Act that riled up citizens throughout the American colonies. But why were they so upset? They already payed less taxes than mainland englishmen, what was there to be angry about? These colonists were upset because this law was a violation of the very rights that they inherit as English citizens by the Bill of Rights.

The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22,1765. It was a taxation on any piece of paper like, legal documents, playing cards, newspapers, etc, and once payed it got a stamp put on it. The reason for the act was to help pay the debt of the Seven Years’ War (French and Indian War). This act affected all the colonists from the wealthy to the poor. What affected the colonists the most was that they had to pay in silver coins and silver was very difficult to find in the colonies. Like the Sugar Act many colonist protested violently and nonviolently. One violent protest was “harassing” tax collectors by destroying their homes and threatening them. A nonviolent protest was boycotting British goods hoping for the act to be repealed.

Some of the ways in which the colonists responded to British actions between 1765 and 1770 were the Stamp Act, the stationing of British troops in Boston, the Townshend Act, and the Tea Act 33. The Stamp Act was put in place so the colonist would pay tax on every legal paper, license, newspaper, and almanac. The stationing of British troops in Boston were because the Boston and Philadelphia both agreed to not give goods or take good from Britain until the Stamp Act was taken away. The Townshend Act was placed a year after the Stamp Act was taken away. The Townshend Act was almost like the Stamp act but it did not place a tax on every little thing, it was the more important things they placed a tax on like glass, lead, paint, and paper also

Beginning in the year 1765 the British began taxing the colonies, as a result of war debt, yet this only put a stress on the relationship between the two, due to the colonist’s belief that they were not being directly represented in the British parliament. The first act that was made to raise money and anger was the Sugar Act. The Sugar Act was created in 1764 and it increased the tax on sugar that was imported from the West Indies. The colonies responded to this act with bitter protests. Due to these protests Britain lowered the duties substantially.

The Revolution became inevitable in 1766, when the British Parliament enacted the Declaratory Act. The act was passed by parliament, as a part of repealing the Stamp Act. This Stamp Act provoked intense anger among the American colonists. When it was repealed by Parliament, it showed the colonists that none of their arguments against the Stamp Act are valid. This act of Parliament was the start of revolution. It could have been compromised with colonists, rather parliament dismissed the argument and this set the stage of anger that led to Revolution. This was the “no point return” when a fight between Britain and North American took place.

After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Britain, in an effort to meet its financial short falls, increased its monetary demands on the colonies. The increase in taxes and laws was a difficult adjustment for the colonists and resulted in the widespread practice of salutary neglect – a lack of enforcement of the laws. In response to this, Britain tightened its control over the colonies by enforcing an increasing amount of royal policies in the colonies. The independent minded colonists, however, resented regulations. In response to England’s increasingly oppressive and heavy restrictions, the colonists’ demonstrations of protest escalated in intensity and violence, growing from respectful appeals to blatantly disrespectful challenge

The Sugar and Stamp Act were designed to increase British taxes. The Sugar was in 1764. Stamp Act was 1756.The Enlish had raised many taxes to pay off the French and Indian War. Colonists did not agree with the taxes.Both of these taxes were unfair for the colonists.The Sugar and stamp Act angered the 13 colonies.

The Sugar Act On April 5, 1764, the parliament of Great Britain passed a law that set a tax on molasses and sugar imported into the colonies as a means of increasing the profit earned from the colonists. The purposes of the sugar act were to decrease the tax on molasses from 6 to 3 pence per gallon, but the new tax was collected by the British military, establish admiralty courts for tax violators, stop the colonist from trading with non-British suppliers, and reduce the amount of people that avoided paying taxes, increasing the tax on other foreign goods. The colonist did not like the sugar act because there were experiencing financial difficulties at the time and it was taxation without representation. The English’s policy of Salutary Neglect

During the British taxation and the organizational schemes that were introduced in 1763, North Carolina’s population reacted intensely. The Townshend Act, which allowed the British Land Tax to be reduced, led to the growth of radical elements. Both the Townshend Act and The Stamp act paved the way for the rise of a Son’s of Liberty group. The pressure on the colonial official in the colony was used to force abandonment efforts to implement the Stamp Act. At this particular time the royal government officials held on firm and even tried to enforce the law of taxations. North Carolina played a significant role by responded to the Tea Act. Their objective was to create and enforce non-imported agreements with merchants to drop trade with Britain.