The Stamp Act:
Who: The American Colonies
What: The Stamp Act
Where: Affected all of the 13 colonies
When: 1765
Why: King George wanted to pay off the debt from the French and Indian War
The Stamp Act started by King George wanting to pay off debt from the French Indain War (Fred Anderson) Lord George Grenville Created the Stamp Act in February 6 1765. ("The Stamp Act (1754-1783).") The Stamp Act "imposed a tax on every printed document in the colonies." (Alan Brinkley) "It imposed taxes on a whole range of official and unofficial documents such as court papers, licenses, college diplomas, commissions to public office, ship manifests, land titles, mortgages, bills of sale, contracts, indentures, articles of apprenticeship, playing cards, dice, pamphlets, almanacs, and newspapers. The stamps cost anywhere from one halfpenny to ten pounds, depending on the document." ("The Stamp Act (1754-1783).") At first, there was little to no problems; however, when Patrick Henry started the famous quote "No taxation without representation" the colonies went crazy. ("The Stamp Act (1754-1783).")
The tax on printed documents affected everyone. (Alan Brinkley) Of all groups affected by the Stamp Act, newspaper and pamphlet publishers had the most to lose. ("The Stamp Act (1754-1783).")
Colonists' Responce:
In the summer of 1765 mobs were rising (Alan Brinkley) The sons of liberty, from Boston, would burn stamps and torment stamp agents.
In New England, People refused to buy English goods which caused Boycotting to spread. The Paxton boys formed in Philadelphia to demand tax relief. (Alan Brinkley)
Led by Samuel Adams and James Otis, the colonists protested against the measure, and the Stamp Act Congress,
the first intercolonial congress, petitioned the king to repeal the act. The request was granted in 1766. (William Rose Benet.
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Citations:
Brinkley, Alan. The Unfinished Nation. N.p.: Chris Freitag, n.d. Print.
"The Stamp Act (1754-1783)." American Eras. Detroit: Gale, 1997. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
"Stamp Act." Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia. William Rose Benet. 3rd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. 928. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
"Stamp Act." Britannica. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Anderson, Fred. The War That Made America. New York City: Penguin Group, 2006. Print.
In October of 1765 The stamp act congress met in New York with representatives from 9 colonies. (Alan Brinkley)
Patrick Henry was very against the stamp act and made a speech in may of 1765 concluding that King George is a tyrant. (Alan Brinkley) Colonists' also outright refusal to use the stamps as well as by riots, stamp burning, and intimidation of colonial stamp distributors. ("Stamp Act."