English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

6 answers

The Stamp Act of 1765 (short title Duties in American Colonies Act 1765; 5 George III, c. 12) was the fourth Stamp Act to be passed by the Parliament of Great Britain and required all legal documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, wills, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. The Act was enacted in order to defray the cost of maintaining the military presence protecting the colonies. The Act passed unanimously on March 22, 1765, and went into effect later that year on November 1, 1765. It met with great resistance in the colonies and was never effectively enforced. Colonists threatened tax collectors with tarring and feathering, a very painful process. Few collectors were willing to risk their well-being to uphold the tax. The Act was repealed on March 18, 1766. This incident increased the colonists' concerns about the intent of the British Parliament and added fuel to the growing separatist movement that later resulted in the American Revolution. The first stamp act congress was held in New York in 1765. The main fact was that Britain needed money to repay the suppliers from the French and Indian War that was very costly to the British financially, even though they were victorious.

The American colonists did not believe their representation in the British parliament was equitable at all. To be admitted to the bar or enrolled as a notary, one would pay a tax of £10 in North America, but only £2 in Great Britain. The tax was also hard on lawyers and those who worked in the courts. They had to print papers very often, so paying taxes on their paper soon became very tedious and expensive, depending on how many documents needed stamps. Another reason the colonists were not so accepting of the tax was because it was the first tax used to raise money for England. The other taxes imposed on the Colonists were mostly used for maintaining the trading and commerce system.

Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt needed garrisons, which were provided by money from the Stamp Act. But the main purpose of these forts was to protect the fur trade, not settlers. Indeed, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 had limited western settlement. For seventy years, the European Wars had carried over to North America. The French, Spanish, and Dutch had, at various times, attacked coastal properties and towns, which had been only protected by colonial militia, not the regular army. The militia had even been assigned to support actions in Canada and the west, with limited compensation from the Crown.

Stamps were generally ignored, and were often unavailable. Many times the Colonists would boycott the stamps and simply not buy them. Protest and discussion over these acts gave way to open violence in a number of instances. In Boston, an effigy of the stamp agent, Andrew Oliver, was hanged and then burned. His home was broken into, and his office, along with the stamps, was burned. The mob even went on to vandalize the home of Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson, destroying records and forcing him and his family to seek refuge at Fort William. (The elm tree used to hang Oliver's effigy later became known as the "Liberty Tree".) Organizations of protest sprang up throughout the colonies, later becoming known as the Sons of Liberty. Oliver resigned as stamp agent, and no one could be found to take the job.

Similar events occurred in other colonies, particularly in New York City and Charleston, South Carolina. Stamps were seized and destroyed, and stamp agents were harassed. Committees of Correspondence sprang up to unite in opposition. There was a general boycott of British merchandise that spread through all the colonies. When Massachusetts asked for a general meeting, nine colonies sent representatives to a Stamp Act Congress held at Federal Hall in New York in October of 1765.


[edit] Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress can be seen in many places as an opening move in the American Revolution. Nine colonies were represented by 27 delegates, determined to draw up a petition of rights and grievances, which would then be presented to Parliament. The actual petition, called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, was drawn up by John Dickinson of the Province of Pennsylvania.

Its wording has ominous significance. The basic argument was that the colonists owed the same allegiance to George III of Great Britain and Parliament as all Britons, and, in the words of the Petition, they were also "entitled to all the inherent rights and liberties of [the King's] natural born subjects." The Petition also declared that "no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed upon them, but by their respective legislatures" and that it was "unreasonable and inconsistent, for the people of Great Britain to grant to His Majesty the property of the colonists." The petition asserted that the extension of Admiralty courts to prosecute violators of the Act undermined "the rights and liberties" of the colonists.

The Declaration of Rights and Grievances was duly sent to the king, and petitions were also sent to both Houses of Parliament. Faced with an inability to enforce the act, Parliament repealed it in the spring. Pressure from British manufacturers and merchants over the boycott had more influence than the petitions. Parliament, in enacting the repeal said: "...whereas the continuance of the said act would be attended with many inconveniences, and may be productive of consequences greatly detrimental to the commercial interests of these kingdoms..."'


[edit] Later effects
Some aspects of the resistance to the act provided a sort of rehearsal for the resistance to the Townshend Acts of 1767. In the American Revolution a decade later, the Committees of Correspondence reappeared on a more formal basis. The boycott also became more formalized, as the colonies entered into a Non Importation Agreement in 1774. While the Sons of Liberty faded after the repeal, they were never again entirely absent. The ability of the colonies to act in concert would also reappear in the Continental Congress.

The colonists also came to believe that they could nullify an Act of Parliament by generally peaceful means. The issue of no taxation without representation was raised, but not resolved. The constitutional stakes would soon be raised higher. Still, the determination of Parliament to tax the colonists persisted.

2007-01-15 14:06:05 · answer #1 · answered by ashleighshea1982 3 · 0 1

the stamp act was a way that England taxed the colonists after the French and Indian War. Colonists had to pay a tax not only for stamps but for a stamp placed on any legal document such as birth, marriage, or death certificates and newspapers, deeds, etc. The colonists felt that they should have had representation and the cry, 'no taxation without representation' became a slogan for the beginnings of the American Revolutionary War.

2007-01-15 14:06:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

the stamp act was part of a group of acts called the townshend acts that were passed by the English parliament to help pay for the french and indian war. The colonists basically fought this war on thier own and didnt have representation in parliament, and therefore felt like they should have to pay these taxes. so they protested.

2007-01-15 14:15:41 · answer #3 · answered by CashMoney 1 · 0 0

That fish is very important. All Christians should have to have one. It warns other road users that there's a wacko at the wheel, who thinks there going to heaven if they crash and die and that its gods will. These people are scary behind the wheel trust me.

2016-05-24 19:42:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

What

2007-01-15 14:04:49 · answer #5 · answered by zen522 7 · 0 0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act will give you all the information you will need to know.

Good Luck!!!

2007-01-15 14:06:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers