How Did The Stamp Act Affect The American Revolution

When examining the events of The Stamp Act, the similarities and differences between Patriot and Loyalists’ perspectives must be considered.

The Stamp Act Crisis in Boston, Massachusetts quickly became a centralized location for further detest to the British law. Colonists fought against the stamp act with fury and anger. Nash adds to the compelling reality that dregs had little or nothing to lose compared to the Elite colonists in the fight with Governor Thomas Hutchinson and brother-in-law Andrew Oliver, both were sent by Britain to restore order and invoke the laws. The common worker had their hands in on the destruction of Hutchinson and Oliver’s property during one of their mob riots as mentioned in source three.. Ebenezer MacIntosh was viewed as “The principal leader of the mob,”(63) but by no means were these acts set in play by anyone other than British Parliament’s forges for rapid wealth.The common people brought Parliament’s ability to tax to a screeching halt.

Parliamentary taxation was the catalyst to the slew of problems the Americans were having with their over-seas overlords. The preliminary Parliament-imposed tax that threatened the colonies was the Molasses Act, which was caused by profit loss for the British under the Navigation Acts, and their need to recoup

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

Because of this, it is easy to see why wealthy and prominent figures such as Thomas Hutchinson – who would later become governor – were so hated by the lower classes. They were the people who would vote in favor of bills that make smuggling goods more costly and difficult. In addition to the distaste for the affluent, Carp also brings attention to the effectiveness of Boston “crowding”. Society in Boston, being tight-quartered and boisterous, gave way to a close town of friends. The Bostonian’s would often band together for such rowdy times as Pope’s Day. This annual celebration of destruction and effigies were often duplicated when the colonist met a rise in price or an unfriendly customs officer. One can only imagine the reaction when the Stamp Act was passed. Merchants, artisans, and the lower class all collaborated to violently oppose this act. Carp views this as the foreshadowing of the tea party and many of the Bostonian’s first brush with opposing Parliament.

The Stamp Act was passed on March 22, 1765. It would take effect on November 1st of the same year. This act was used to pay a tax on basically every piece of paper. The people that it affected were the colonists. It was stated in the act that the admiralty courts would have jurisdiction over the offenders. This was viewed as an attempt to lessen the power of the colonial courts (SFI one, About Education). The act was also created to take money directly from the colonists because of the British being in debt from war.

Simply by suggesting that Parliament had overstepped its implied boundaries, the colonists were considered to be boldly defiant. The Resolutions were sent to the king and Parliament, where they were met as warmly as the Stamp Act itself was in the colonies.

The rich and wealthy were the most impacted. They had no power when they were used to all of the power. They felt useless and poor. They also felt like the British did not respect them. They started to boycott all of the goods that the stamp act affected.

When unreasonable taxes such as the Stamp Act, were implemented, the colonists passively expressed their complaints, grievances, and rights to others in the colonies or even to the king and British Parliament. They published pamphlets, letters, and other forms of expression that were widely viewed and read in the colonies, spreading and encouraging ideas of independence and rebellion. For example, in document 1, the images depict two clearly written phrases, “No Stamp Act” and “America, Liberty Restored.” These affirm their resentment towards

Without Stamp distributors, the Stamp Act could not go into effect. The solution would be to coerce the Stamp distributors to resign from their posts. If this meant using violence, destruction and defacing property, harassment and tormenting, then so be it. In a letter in the New York Gazette that was redistributed in Philadelphia and Portmouth, a critic wrote “' Our Brethren in Boston have indeared themselves more than ever to all the colonies in America... that Noble Example... will be unanimously follow'd by all the colonies.'”2 Boston had set the example for all the other colonies to follow, and by the following week various effigies were being prepared and demonstrations were being planned. With the harassment and tormenting of just a few Stamp distributors came the overall notion that all Stamp distributors would receive the same treatment. In effect, mostly all the Stamp distributors resigned from their posts and some even fled to different colonies to escape the mob violence at the hands of

According to Kemp, Franklin was merely representing the wrong colony at the wrong time. And said that, although events in Massachusetts put Franklin on the hot seat, there was an underlying reason for Wedderburn’s attacks. Some of which were inherent, for instance, the ideologies between American Colonists and the British Elite were very much different than how Franklin imagined the Empire. He believed that all colonists were grateful to be part of the Empire, and even went as far as to advocate ill-fated taxes to be introduced to the Colonies in an attempt to relieve some british debt. Furthermore, to the british mind, taxes that were being legislated were perfectly within the Empire’s right, and that every time taxes became too overwhelming, British officials would back down against resistance. Such was the case for the Stamp Act which was enacted in 1765 and repealed in 1766 after riots broke out in the Colonies.

Is it about time the colonists want to break away from the Britains? The colonists have been under Britain's wing for a long time, and it is about time for them to break free. Britain didn’t want to let them free, and the only way for the colonists to break free is to fight for it. Being tired of taxes, raising revenue towards the government by collecting money from imports, and the cause of Boston Massacre just invoked the American Revolution. The colonists might of been weaker, but they didn’t give up, which gave them the motivation to go against the red coats without hesitation.

The Townshend Acts were meant to replace the Stamp Act, which was repealed in 1766. These new acts greatly angered the Bostonians.

Mid-eighteenth century colonial America was a hot bed for social and political change. The Enlightenment and The Great Awakening changed colonial thought on how legislation should be passed and the legitimacy of The Crown’s authority. Coming out of The Seven Years War, the British Parliament issued The Proclamation of 1763, which limited colonial expansion into the newly conquered western frontier. The Proclamation left many colonists believing that The Crown valued trade with the Indians more than the prosperity of the colonists themselves. But, it was not until the “new” parliamentary taxes, The Stamp Act and later The Townshend Revenue Act that sparked great public fear that Parliament was encroaching on their natural born liberties.

     In Parliament some members saw how the boycotts endured by the colonists were affecting the British merchants. One member in Parliament saw how the colonists had grown and had united. For whatever reason the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, however this did not stop the disagreements about taxation and lack of representation.      In 1774, the Coercive or Intolerable Acts were passed. these were meant to punish the colonists for the evil they had committed, especially to punish the city of Boston for their acts at the Boston Tea Party.