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The stamp act of 1765 essay
The stamp act of 1765 essay
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In 1764, after the Seven Years War, Britain was in debt for more than £129,586,789. In 1765, George Grenville drafted his Stamp Bill, which consisted of fifty-five resolutions for taxing the colonists to help pay the national debt of Britain. Grenville introduced his Bill on February 6, 1765, and Parliament passed the Bill on the 17th of the same month. King George III put the Stamp Act in motion after the House of Lords further approved the bill in March. This act, and many others, on behalf of Parliament to asseverate control over the colonies would prove detrimental in the years that soon followed (Independence Hall Association, 2011). The Stamp Act was, according to Grenville (1765), “an act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same…” (para. 1). In taxing the colonies by way of the Stamp Act, Britain attempted to assert their control and authority over the colonists by making them pay taxes simply for having the protection of Britain. The Stamp Act covered many aspects of printed materials, and the paper had to have an embossed revenue stamp that came from London, England (Ivester, 2009). The Stamp Act itself contained strict penalties and fines for breaking the law, including death without last rites (Grenville, 1765). The price of the Stamp Act was exceptionally high by colonial standards of income, as the prices would still be high by today’s standards. For example, the tax on dice at ten shillings in 1765 would amount to $54 today. The Stamp Act also held some lofty fines for any violation of its law. A £20 fine in 1765 would be rough... ... middle of paper ... ...ndation. (2011). A summary of the 1765 Stamp Act. Retrieved on September 18, 2011 from http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm Independence Hall Association. (2011). The Stamp Act. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/stampact.htm Ivester, H. (2009). The Stamp Act of 1765: A serendipitous find. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.mitchellwilliamslaw.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1264420620StampAct.pdf Sage, H.J. (2006). The issue of representation: Actual and virtual. Retrieved on September 18, 2011 from http://www.academicamerican.com/revolution/topics/representation.htm South Carolina Department of Archives and History. (2009). Teaching American history in South Carolina. Retrieved on September 18, 2011 from http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/StampActExcerpts.html
When the British passed the Stamp Act, the colonists reacted in various ways. The Stamp Act, passed in 1765, put taxes on all printed goods in the colonies. Specifically, newspapers, legal documents, dice,
In 1763 the Seven Years’ War ended with the British Empire emerging as victors. The victory came at great cost to Great Britain’s economy. The national debt almost doubled from 75 million pounds to 133 million pounds between 1755 and 1763. Given that Britain fought in North America to uphold the security of her colonial possessions, British ministers deemed it fair that the cost of the war should be shared with the colonies. Subsequently, import duties on popular goods were raised and a number of Acts regarding excise taxes were passed. These included the Sugar Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend duties beginning in 1767. The consequences of these actions were to place great financial burdens on the North American colonists, but more importantly, to
The Stamp Act was the first stepping stone towards the revolution taking place in 1765. The Stamp Act was created for a revenue for the British. This means that Britain place tax on basically on everyday items. Grenville’s believed it was a good idea to regulate colonial trade.
John Hancock was raised in present day Quincy, Massachusetts. Born from a clergyman father, who passed away early in Hancock’s youth, had his wealthy uncle fostered the young orphan. At adolescence, he was sent to Harvard to for a prestige education, and after graduating the university, he traveled overseas to Britain to learn business. In the year 1764, John Hancock inherited his uncle’s business, “Thomas Hancock and Company,” after his uncle passed away. When John Hancock became an affluent merchant in all of New England, he did not realize that this would unfold an important occurrence that sparked his devoted, powerful patriotism. During the time when the Stamp Act was placed, his workers smuggled wine off of one of his cargo ships, The Liberty, which violated the law. Hancock was blamed for his workers doing, which lead to the British Government who attempted to seize his boat. He hired the infamous lawyer John Adams to defend him in court, although, the ...
In the war the British and the colonies worked side by side though after problems arose and the British wanted to take over the 13 colonies and gain there territory. British parliament in London also wanted to impose new laws and restrictions. This caused the colonists to feel that their freedom was being limited, though that is not the main cause that caused the tension between Britain and the colonies it was the series of unfair taxes that the British forced the consists to pay. There is many though the ones that are most important are the stamp act that began the protests, the Boston massacre which lead to the Boston tea party and then the intolerable acts, and lastly the first and second continental congress
In 1765, England passed on the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act taxed a seal that was required on important documents in England, and extended that tax across the Atlantic Ocean, and into the colonies. The tax seemed like a fair deal because all the revenue generated in the colonies from the tax, would stay in the colonies, rather than get sent back to England. Even though it was
In the 1760s King George III enacted the Sugar Act and the Stamp act to gain extra revenue from his colonies. King George III decided to enact heavier taxes to put money back into the empire that had been lost after the French and Indian War. This act levied heavy taxes on sugar imported from the West Indies. The Stamp Act in 1765 required that many items have a stamp to prove that the owner had payed for the taxes on the item. The problem the colonists had with it was that it increased the presence of English troops in the Colonies and they felt it was unneeded and only meant to put more control into Great Britain's hands.
This angered a few northern merchants because it meant that they couldn’t rely on the cheaper goods from smugglers, and that they had to raise their prices, and therefore lost business and popularity in the colonies. The Currency Act of 1764 made it illegal for the colonies to print and distribute paper money. This effected the southern farmers because they used paper money to take out loans, that were now worthless and so they fell into debt. These first acts helped the colonists realize they needed to set aside their griefs with the other colonies to go against the bigger threat of the London policy makers. The workers in the towns suffered from reduced opportunities for work because of the new restrictions on manufacturing and currency. The Stamp Act of 1765 affected everyone in the colonies by placing a tax on any printed document. This act generated more revenue from the colonies than any of the previous acts. This act was seen as a way for Parliament to levy money form the colonies while circumventing the local governments, which causes some colonial revolutionaries to call for action from the colonists. The
Taxes had been rising for the colonies for years prior 1765. It was not appreciated but the colonists tolerated it. Those tax acts included the Townshend Act. That is, until the spring of 1765 when British Parliament passed the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act required a tax to be put on all paper goods. This included all ship papers, legal documents, licenses, and newspapers. It was considered a small tax in cost but the reaction of the colonist was nothing but offended. All the things that the colonist used to develop and have their daily lives separate from British government was now being taxed. Although the act was not passed until November of 1765, the colonists already felt victimized by the Stamp Act and the discrimination from Great Britain. These emotions and reactions quickly followed as motivation to do something again the act. The same can be said for how the Sons of Liberty was started.
According to document 1, the stamp act was being destroyed would restore America's liberty. The stamp act was the first direct tax in colonial history, and was created to help pay for the British troops stationed in the colonies. The taxing made colonists angry because now
“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
The new tax was imposed on all Americans colonies and required them to pay tax on every piece of printed paper they used. The actual cost of the Stamp Act was relatively small. What made the law so offensive to the colonist was no so much its immediate cost but the standard it seemed to set, In the past, taxes and duties on colonial trade had always been viewed as measures to regulate commerce, not to raise money.
American colonies have been building themselves from the ground since day one. However, Great Britain thinks that the colonies are how they are now was all thanks to the supports of England. After the war French and Indian War, the Parliament believes that it is the colonies’ duties to help Great Britain with the enormous debt. As a result, the Stamp Act is passed in an unfair and unjustified manner. In fact, the colonies did not have any saying in the matter of passing the Act. Therefore, the Stamp Act, as the very least, should not be applied to them.
In the 1760s war was ravaging England's economy, they were fighting off the French on the northern borders and paying dearly for it. To pay for these prices England enacted the stamp act, a taxing system forced on the colonies making them pay heavy prices for their war. Not only did his enrage the colonies but also it gave England the stigma of a tyrannical force that the American revolutionaries would use to rationalize their war.
“See Father, you understand, the Stamp Act must be abolished. Now, since we are on the subject, I plan to head south next month. Daniel Holbrook tells me some men from Savannah are to protest the Act by burning an effigy of the darned Stamp Master.”