Stamp Act of 1765

When the British parliament put the Stamp Act into law the American revolution became inevitable because the act mobilized and united the colonies, shed light on the rights that the British denied the Americans, and forced Americans to confront the flaws of British rule.

“‘No taxation without representation!’”(Hart,67). This explains the anger in the colonist on how britain was taxing for the lost items without their consent.

Huge debts were owed to Great Britain for supplying the colonists with military support and supplies. To pay the dues, there was the establishment of the Stamp Act, the taxation on domestic goods and services. A tax on domestic merchandise brought even more anger to the colonists. The Sugar Act, the Townshed Duties and the Tea Act were also all introduced with the same fundamentals: applying tax on goods whether it be directly or indirectly, domestic or international. “British commercial regulations imposed a paltry economic burden on Americans, who enjoyed a rapid economic growth and a standard of living higher than their European counterparts” (McGaughy). Each act resulted in irritated colonists. Some even retaliated by tarring and feathering certain English tax enforcers living in the colonies.

[ 3 ]. Horton, James Oliver, and Lois E. Horton. Slavery and the Making of America. New

The increasing conflict between Great Britain and the North American Colonies have been ever so increasing on various levels. As depicted in Document 3, many Americans have grievances that include such tyrannous deeds and acts imposed on them. Document 3 says; “The colonies are generally restricted in their foreign trade.” This statement is referring to the Navigation Acts of 1651. The document takes place in 1766 and written by Benjamin Franklin in an interview Benjamin Franklin was an American Diplomat for freedom. This document would be intended for the people of America to listen to what Their top diplomats’ opinions. The navigation acts restricted trade between any other areas but England. Any imports into the colonies must arrive on English ships. Furthermore, as stated in the document; “Many products, particularly those for shipbuilding and raw materials for manufacturers; mast trees, ship timber, iron, copper, … cotton, indigo, tobacco, skins and furs, they may not export.” These views furthered economic angry, as the colonies were built upon making a profit. In Document 4, in the perspective of “an American Farmer;” he states that Britain has imposed laws of taxation without the consent of the people. This

“No Taxation without Representation.” Everyone has heard this quote, but how many know where it came from? In March of 1765, British Parliament passed a law that the colonists must pay a tax on any licenses, contracts, wills, warrants, playing cards, and paper. Every one of these things had to have a stamp on it to show that they paid the tax. (Stamp Act Powerpoint) This was called the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act was the most important event that caused the Revolutionary War.

The American colonies had good reason to suspect some other motives were at play in Britain and with their fears came more taxes. With their ever-growing belief that in some way Britain was devising a plan to seize their liberties, colonists started to boycott British luxury goods so Britain would have to stop the taxes since they would not be making revenue. However, this did not stop Parliament from adding new taxes to the list. In 1767, the Townshend Revenue Acts were imposed and set a new series of taxes on the colonists to offset the costs of administering and protecting the American colonies. Items taxed include imports such as paper, tea, glass, lead and paints. The restrictions Britain

This was because the English government was unfairly raising taxes on everything; it became difficult for the colonists to purchase anything due to the high taxes. Although the taxes were unjust, the colonists did what they could to survive.

The end of the French and Indian War brought debt to Great Britain. To pay for the costs of the war, British Parliament passed a series of laws taxing the American colonists. The colonies became upset with all of the new taxes and began to rebel. The colonists had no representation in British Parliament and felt that they should not pay for taxes without the ability to have a say. Their rebellions only made the British create more laws without them.

Their were mounting tensions between the Britain and its colonies between 1750 and 1776. This was evidently a result of the Stamp Tax, Townshend Duties, Boston Massacre, and Tea Tax. The majority of these offenses were money based. While the colonist had no objections to taxes, they did not appreciate being forced to pay for things that did not benefit them and was solely created in order to alleviate some of Britain’s enormous debt. The first offensive tax that the settlers had to pay was the Stamp Act. It had an affect on anyone who used paper, primarily those who worked in business and law. They resisted this with public demonstrations, such as assaulting effigies of stamp distributors. Next, came the Townshend Duties. These were a broad

Colonist faced several challenges prior to the American Revolution. There were many limitations and regulations for the colonist placed by Britain. The colonist were faced with harsh Acts that altered their way of life and shifted their perspective on Britain.

Starting after the termination of the Seven-Year’s war, by the Peace of Paris, England repeatedly violated the American Colonists’ rights. A series of events, happening between 1763(ending of the Seven-Years’ war) and 1775 (starting of the revolution), could be taken as motives for the American’s revolution. The Americans claimed that through both, the Sugar Act (1764) and the Stamp Act (1765), the British dishonored their rights to taxation. The Townshend Acts also infuriated the Americans, and as in all other circumstances, they were willing to fight for their rights. The final justification for the

The American Revolution is a vital part in U.S history, but what caused it? To begin, Britain, like most countries at the time, were sending men to live and colonized the unexplored Americas. Long story short, after fighting the French-Indian War with Britain, the colonists wanted the British to back off, but the British wanted more control over them after all the money they invested in the colonies. As a result, this tension between the British and colonists would spark the beginning of a revolution. This revolution began at the Battle of Lexington and Concord; Thomas Gage, governor of Massachusetts, sent troops to try to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who at the time were setting up a provisional government around Gage and were also

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.

As many American businesses engaged in credit sales with Britain, they were crippled when several financial crises gripped London in the 1760’s and 1770’s. These forced Britain merchants to call in their debts. Unable to generate any liquid form of currency, American businesses were frequently ruined and the colonial economy damaged. Outraged by these new laws and the Quartering Act which required colonial citizens to house and feed British troops, the American colonies began to systematically boycott British goods.”(1)