The Stamp Act of 1765

Name
Institution
Date
 Stamp Act
Role of the Stamp Act
 Stamp Act was a measure that was used by the British
government to raise revenue by placing taxes on
newspapers, pamphlets, almanacs, advertisements, land
deeds, marriage licenses, insurance policies, dice and
playing cards.
 The Act denoted the raising of colonial tax profits to
assist defray Indian as well as French conflicts in North
America. Colonists reacted by directly declaring that the
Stamp Act was a try to increase money in the colonies
devoid of the approval of royally legislators ("Colonial
Wiliamsburg", 2016).
 Role of the Stamp Act
 The Act also provided a death sentence for any person
caught counterfeiting revenue stamps.
 Impact of the Stamp Act
 Colonists united in opposition, organised committees
to boycott British goods ("Stamp Act", 2016).
 It led to an uproar in the colonies over an issue that
was to be a major cause of revolution: taxation without
representation.
 Most Americans organized attacks on the custom
houses and homes of tax collectors.
 Some newspapers refused to purchase stamped paper
and published in defiance of the law.
 Reasons for enacting Stamp Act
 The Act was passed by Parliament in March 1765. It
was designed to force to force colonists to use special
stamped paper in printing and to have a stamp
embossed on all legal and commercial papers ("The
Stamp Act", 2015).
 The Act was controversial and it forced colonists to
buy a British stamp for every official document they
obtained.
 Impact of the Stamp Act

 The Sons of Liberty, a secret organization was formed

to intimidate anyone that cooperated by purchasing
the unloved stamps ("The Stamp Act", 2015).
 Members of The Sons of Liberty terrorized men
chosen to issue the revenue stamps and were to take
blames for tarring and feathering tax collectors.
 Stamp Act Arguments

 All of a sudden after over a century of permitting self

rule, Britain was exercising direct influence over
colonial life ("Stamp Act", 2016).
 The parent country was restricting westward
movement and enforcing trade laws.
 Stamp Act Arguments
 The Stamp Act assembly was summoned through the
politicians as well as attended by agents of nine of the
colonies to converse their grievances as well as
complaint beside the measures intended in the Act
through the British king as well as Parliament ("The
Stamp Act", 2015).
 Throughout the colonies rallying cries became, “no
taxation without representation.”
 Stamp Act Arguments

 Many of them argued that the colonies might not be

taxed devoid of representation in Parliament ("Stamp
Act", 2016).
 Arguments were allocated from assembly towards
assembly in the structure of "circulars" as well as
Patrick Henry established seven resolutions beside the
Stamp Tax that is in the “Virginia House of Burgesses”.
 Major Actions
 American colonists responded to the Act with
organized protests.
 All the appointed stamp agents appointed resigned
even before the Act could take effect
 The latest tax was imposed on every American colonist
as well as necessary them to pay a tax on all piece of
printed document they applied. Ship's papers,
officially permitted documents, licenses, and also
newspapers, and playing cards were taxed ("The Stamp
Act", 2015). 
 Major Actions
 Some colonies held congress to take measure to
oppose Parliament’s tax policy.
 There was closure of courts in other colonies rather
than using stamps.
 The governor of Rhode Island refused to enforce
the Stamp Act.
 The Stamp Act, conversely, was viewed as a straight
attempt by England to increase cash in the colonies
devoid of the support of the colonial legislatures.
 Increase Fears Of An Overbearing
Central Government
 In Virginia House of Burgesses, Patrick Henry
denounced the Stamp Act in fiery terms suggesting
that the Act would eventually force colonies to revolt.
 Franklin warned that if Britain attempted sending
more troops to enforce the Act there would be an open
rebellion.
 While the Stamp Act itself was not a cruel measure,
Increase Fears of Overbearing Central Government
colonists feared the standard this latest kind of
legislation would set ("The Stamp Act", 2015). 
 Decrease fears of an overbearing
central government

 The colonists salaried a campaign which contained

evasion as well as tarring and feathering to battle the
tax along with threat to the tax collectors ("The Stamp
Act", 2015).
 No taxation devoid of representation.
Nature Of The Colonial Government
 Each of the thirteen colonies had a written agreement
between the colony and the king of England or
Parliament ("Stamp Act", 2016).
 Charters of royal colonies provided for direct rule by
the king.
  A colonial legislature was elected by property holding
males.
 Governors were appointed by the king and had almost
complete authority, with their salary controlled by
legislators.
 Act An Inevitable Catalyst ?

The Act was inevitable, since most Americans

responded negatively;
 By July 1775, battles in what eventually became known
as the American Revolution had already taken place:
Concord, Lexington and Bunker Hill.
 Violent reactions towards the Stamp Act start to
happen throughout the colonies.  While the extra
radical Stamp law Resolves were certainly not passed,
they were broadly published during the colonies
("Stamp Act", 2016). 
 References
Colonial Wiliamsburg. (2016).
https://www.history.org/index.cfm. Retrieved 18 August
2016, from
https://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm
Dickinson, A. The Stamp Act.
Stamp Act. (2016). Months Past, 66(4), 2.
The Stamp Act. (2015). Today History, 65(3), 2.
THANK YOU
END