Stamp Act DBQ Essay

The Sugar Act, which was a widely unpopular act, cut taxes on molasses and sugar. It was troublesome to the colonists because it increased the enforcement on tax collection. Then there was the Quartering Act which required the colonies to feed and house British soldiers. The New Englanders did not like either of these Acts. They found them threatening to profits from the rum trade and intrusive. As upset as the New Englanders were about the Quartering Act and Sugar Act, the Stamp Act caused a much bigger backlash than the previous two Acts had. “Passed by Parliament in 1765, the Stamp Act mandated the sue of stamped paper for all official papers, including diplomas, marriage licenses, wills, newspapers, and playing cards. The stamp, embedded in the paper (not a topical stamp), indicated that a tax had been paid on the document” (Shultz, 2014, p. 85). Opponents in Massachusetts wanted to force Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. To do this they created a circular letter that invited all of the colonies to send representatives to discuss resistance to the Act. This was known as the Stamp Act Congress, they met in New York in 1765. The Stamp Act Congress “acknowledged that

There were several colonists that argued against the Stamp Act. James Otis argued that colonists had no representation in Parliament; therefore Parliament did not have authority over them. Patrick Henry argued that it was unconstitutional because he lived in Virginia and only Virginia had the right to tax him. John “Adams argued that allowing Parliament to tax them without their consent threatened the sanctity of private property and personal liberty” (Shultz, 2014, p. 87). Benjamin Franklin and Daniel Dulany had a different argument. They said that colonists should accept Parliaments right to regulate trade through use of duties which was a form of taxation called external