THE STAMP ACT SARAH DEFANTI

WHAT WAS IT? THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT PASSED THE STAMP ACT ON MARCH 22, 1765 IT PLACED A TAX ON EVERY PRINTED ITEM IT WAS IMPOSED ON ALL AMERICAN COLONISTS AND WAS PLACED ON ITEMS RANGING FROM PLAYING CARDS TO LEGAL DOCUMENTS. THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT USED THE MONEY FROM THE STAMP ACT TO PAY THE TROOPS PROTECTING THE AMERICAN FRONTIER THEY PLANNED ON PLACING AROUND 10,000 TROOPS AROUND THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS FOR PROTECTION

WHY DID THE COLONISTS HATE IT? COLONISTS VIEWED IT AS BRITAIN’S WAY OF GETTING MORE MONEY FROM THE COLONIES WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT THE COLONISTS BELIEVED THAT IF THEY LET THIS SLIDE BY, IT WOULD OPEN THE DOORS FOR MORE ACTS LIKE THIS AND WORSE ALTHOUGH THE ACTUAL COST OF THE STAMP ACT WAS SMALL, THE STANDARD IT SET SEEMED OUTRAGEOUS. COLONIAL TRADE WAS MEANT TO REGULATE COMMERCE, NOT TO RAISE MONEY FOR BRITAIN.

WHAT DID THE COLONISTS DO ABOUT IT? MOST PEOPLE DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD DO ANYTHING, BUT THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF BURGESSES BEGAN TO FIGHT THE TAXES THEY ADOPTED PATRICK HENRY’S STAMP ACT RESOLVES THESE RESOLVES DECLARED A NUMBER OF RIGHTS FOR THE COLONISTS THEY SAID THAT THE COLONISTS HAD JUST AS MANY RIGHTS AS THE ENGLISH THEY ARGUED THAT THE COLONISTS SHOULD ONLY BE TAXED BY THEIR OWN OFFICIALS, AND THAT VIRGINIANS WOULD ONLY PAY TAXES TO THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES ANYBODY SUPPORTING THE TAXATION BY PARLIAMENT WAS CONSIDERED AN ENEMY OF THE COLONY THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF BURGESSES DEFEATED THE MOST EXTREME OF THESE RESOLVES, BUT KEPT FOUR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR FAUQUIER DID NOT AGREE WITH THEM, AND DISSOLVED THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES AS A RESULT

WORKS CITED “A SUMMARY OF THE 1765 STAMP ACT.” COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG. ACCESSED OCTOBER 26,