1. Has your parent/ guardian ever had a rule, or policy that you thought was unfair or unreasonable?
What did you do about it?

2. Today’s key historical question: Why were the colonists upset about the Stamp Act?
The Stamp Act was passed by Parliament on March 22, 1765 with an effective date of November 1, 1765

3. Impact of the French and Indian War 1754-1763 (French & Indians vs
Impact of the French and Indian War (French & Indians vs. colonists & British army)

4. Problems for England after French and Indian War (1754- 1763)…
British debt is doubled after expensive war…
Territory under its control is expanded
10,000 more troops needed to control Native Americans and former French subjects
Pontiac’s Rebellion- Natives in Ohio River Valley rebelling
What should Britain do?

5. Proclamation of 1763
Colonists barred from moving into area west of the Appalachians

6. George Grenville- appointed Prime Minister
Decides to tax colonies
American colonists on average are 20% richer, but pay about ¼ of the taxes as British citizens

7. Sugar Act- 1764 Purpose: tax on imported molasses
Effect: tougher enforcement of colonial smuggling (no more SALUTARY NEGLECT)
Smugglers tried in vice-admiralty court rather than colonial courts

8. Stamp Act
passed by Parliament on March 22, 1765 with an effective date of November 1, 1765
A small tax on legal documents, licenses, magazines, pamphlets, almanacs, playing cards, newspapers and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies
1st INTERNAL TAX
Colonists who disobeyed tried in vice-
admiralty courts

9. Colonial response to the Stamp Act
Colonial assemblies pass resolutions against “taxation without representation”
Merchants boycott British imports
Stamp Act Congress
NYC October 1765
Delegates from 9 colonies
Declaration of Rights and Grievances- Parliament has no right to tax the colonies because they are not represented there

10. Sons of Liberty-Violent resistance
Leaders of protests
Sam Adams leads in Boston
Some violent intimidation
Mobs riot in cities
Tax collectors harassed, threatened
August stamp collectors office torn down; house damaged
October Governor Hutchinson’s house burnt down
By November 1, the day the tax was to go into effect, there was not a single stamp left in the colonies to collect the tax

11. Key Question: WHY WERE THE COLONISTS UPSET ABOUT THE STAMP ACT?
READING LIKE A HISTORIAN:
WHAT DO THE DOCS SAY?
Sourcing
Contextualization
Close-Reading
Corroboration

12. Always SOURCE the document first
CONTEXTUALIZATION- What were people thinking/ saying AT THAT TIME?
Close Reading- what claims does the author make?

13. Sourcing Questions: Context Questions:
What newspaper does this come from?
What would you predict the author’s perspective will be on the Stamp Act?
Context Questions:
What happened in Boston?
Why is the author surprised?
Who reads the newspapers, according to the author?
According to this document, why were colonists upset about the Stamp Act?

15. CORROBORATING: Looking at all 3….
WHY WERE THE COLONISTS UPSET ABOUT THE STAMP ACT?
Was the Stamp Act unreasonable or unfair?
Were the British violating colonists’ rights? If yes, how so?
How were the colonists behaving in response?
Some historians argue that the American Revolution happened because a few rich leaders riled up all the poor people. Do these documents provide evidence for this argument? Is that evidence believable?

16. Why do the colonists see the Stamp Act as a violation of their rights?