D: The Stamp Act

Definition of the Stamp Act (A BRITISH Action)

The Stamp Act was passed on March 22, 1765, but took effect on November 1, 1765. It was designed to raise revenue from the American Colonies by a duty (tax) in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents. The Stamp Act was first direct tax to be levied on the American colonies. It was the first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the 13 colonies.

The Stamp Act required various items such as licenses, documents, diplomas and nearly every paper item to be printed on stamped or embossed paper in the American colonies. This meant that the American colonists had to pay a fee on almost every piece of paper used for legal documents. Basically anything printed on paper, except books, was taxed.

Purpose of the Stamp Act of 1765

The Purpose of the Stamp Act of 1765 was to:

• • Raise revenue to pay the debt incurred during the French Indian War & for keeping soldiers in the colonies

  • Assert British governmental authority over the American colonies

The Colonists Reaction to the Stamp Act of 1765

The Stamp Act of 1765 was seen as detrimental to Colonial America and sowed the seeds of dissension and rebellion in the colonies. The colonists’ outrage and violent reaction to the Stamp Act came as a great surprise to the British government. The British believed they had a right to enforce their trade policies and taxes as the Mother Country. And the colonists had become accustomed, to a limited degree, to the British regulation of trade and taxes. So what was the difference between the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, why was the reaction to the Stamp Act so strong, what was the significance of the Stamp Act?

The Significance of the Stamp Act was extremely far reaching. The following points raise the elements that contributed to the significance of the Stamp Act of 1765:

• • The taxes levied by the Stamp Act were not to regulate commerce and trade, but to directly grasp money out of colonists

  • The colonies believed that the Stamp Act was a deliberate attempt to limit their independence.

  • The tax was introduced by a direct order from Britain without approval of the colonial legislature

  • The Stamp Act was the first direct tax that Parliament ever levied upon the colonists

  • The colonists believed in their rights to trial by jury, and there was no jury trial for people accused of violating the Stamp Act.

  • The Stamp Act of 1765 led to the creation of resistance groups such as the Sons of Liberty and the Stamp Act Congress

Protesting against the Stamp Act - Crisis in the Colonies (COLONIAL RESPONSE)

The colonists started protesting against the Stamp Act. There were meetings, demonstrations, boycotts, circulars and petitions. Some Colonists began protesting against the Stamp Act of 1765 by burning Stamp Act papers. Others refused to pay the Stamp Taxes. Protesting against the Stamp Act escalated even further and the crisis became worse - colonists started to turn to violence. Officials were harassed and verbally abused. Protesters turned into mobs and property was damaged. Stamp Agents were burnt in effigy - dummies dressed to resemble stamp agents were hanged or burned during some of the protests. Steps had to be taken before full scale rebellion broke out in the colonies. The British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act because boycotts were damaging British trade.