STAMP ACT (870)

The Stamp Act of 1765

(870)

Instructions: As you read through the document, answer the questions on the slides that follow.

The Stamp Act of 1765

In 1763, something was dreadfully wrong in the American colonies.

Few people would have predicted that it could lead to revolution. The colonies were doing well and the people were not seeking freedom from England. Yet just a decade later in 1776, a revolution would be unfolding in British America.

For more than a century and a half, Britain had allowed the colonies to more or less oversee themselves.

That all changed in 1763 when England's king began exercising more control over colonial life.

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Taxes did not go over well in the colonies

Britain began taxing American colonists because it needed money. The Seven Years' War that was fought by many European countries had been expensive.

The taxes on American colonists were lower than those of English citizens. The money from the colonies also partly paid for the British troops that protected the 13 colonies.

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Taxes did not go over well in the colonies

The American colonists, however, saw it differently. Americans thought the British troops were there only to watch over them. They did not want to pay for that.

Also, the colonists had cleared land, fought Indians and lost family members while building the colonies. After all that they had done, to be forced to pay money was an insult.

Colonists begin to rally

Colonists did not agree with the setup of the British government, called parliament. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry. They were angry because there were no colonists in Britain's parliament to represent the colonies when decisions were being made. Yet England wanted money from the colonies. The colonists thought the British were taking their money without letting them express their opinions. This denied them their rights as British people.

Stamp Act gets people to organize

Britain passed the Stamp Act in March 1765. This was the first direct tax on the American colonies. It said that anything important had to be written on stamped paper. This was to prove that the colonists had paid taxes. Proof of owning land, wills to leave money to children, marriage licenses and other important documents meant nothing unless this special paper was used. Newspapers, dice and playing cards also needed proof that taxes had been paid.

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Stamp Act gets people to organize

The colonists did not like this and sprang into action. Famous colonial political leaders including Patrick Henry in Virginia and James Otis in Massachusetts protested loudly. A meeting was organized in the colonies to decide what to do. It was called the Stamp Act Congress.

James Otis

Patrick Henry

Stamp Act Congress takes shape

The Stamp Act Congress met in New York in October 1765. At first, the meeting seemed to be a failure. Only nine of the 13 colonies sent participants. Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia were not present. The meeting quickly became divided between those who were against taxation without government representation and others who wanted stronger measures against the British.

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Stamp Act Congress takes shape

This became the spirit of the Stamp Act Congress Resolves. The meeting's participants realized that England had a right to make laws in the colonies because the colonies were still under the king's rule. So, just the taxation was being disputed. Every colony except one approved the Stamp Act Resolves, which said colonies must be represented in the government in order to be taxed.

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Colonists stop buying British goods

In the end, the colonists' actions did more to get rid of the Stamp Act than the meeting did. But, the meeting was still important. For the first time, different colonies met to talk about solving common problems. This was a small but important step toward the unity that would be necessary to later declare independence from England.

This GIF is an example of "boycotting"

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Colonists stop buying British goods

But, because of the tax, the colonists refused to buy British goods. Groups such as the Sons and Daughters of Liberty did not cooperate with the British tax collectors. The group also made public the names of colonists who were still buying British items. Soon, the pressure on England from struggling British merchants was too great to bear. The Stamp Act was canceled the following year. However, the uneasy peace between the American colonists and British rulers did not last long.

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