Preview

1763 Dbq

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
845 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
1763 Dbq
In order to help cover the cost of the war between Great Britain and France, British officials began to establish new taxes in the Colonies. In 1765, a tax was passed by Great Britain known as the Stamp Act. This law required all colonists to pay a tax to Great Britain on all of the printed materials that they used, newspapers, magazines, and even playing cards. All of these materials were required to have a stamp placed on them, in order to show that the tax had been paid. Colonist were outraged, and responded by boycotting all British goods. They also attacked officials who were sent by Great Britain to enforce the Stamp Act, and burned the stamps in the street. Many of the colonies sent representatives to a special meeting in …show more content…
To be admitted to the bar or enrolled as a notary one would pay a tax of £10 in America, but only £2 in Britain. The tax on newspapers raised considerable opposition, especially from the newspapers themselves. Colonists also didn't see the advantage of a standing army. Posts such as Fort Detroit and Fort Pitt needed garrisons. But their main purpose 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. Coastal properties and towns had been attacked by the French, Spanish, and Dutch at various times, and they had been 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. 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 Lieutenant Governor Hutchinson's home, destroying records and forcing him and his family to …show more content…
This law and the Sugar Act of the previous year would be the beginning of the outcry of the Thirteen Colonies, “No taxation, without representation” and “Taxation, without representation is tyranny.” Dispite in the colonies over the Stamp Act had actually begun in the spring of 1764 when Parliament passed a resolution that contained the assertion, "That, towards further defraying the said Expences, it may be proper to charge certain Stamp Duties in the said Colonies and Plantations." Both the Sugar Act and the proposed Stamp Act were designed principally to raise revenue from the colonists. The Sugar Act was to a large extent a continuation of past legislation related primarily to the regulation of trade (termed an external tax), but its stated purpose to collect revenue directly from the colonists for a specific purpose was entirely new. The novelty of the Stamp Act was that it was the first internal tax (a tax based entirely on activities within the colonies) levied directly on the colonies by Parliament. Because of its potential wide application to the colonial economy, the Stamp Act was judged by the colonists to be a more dangerous

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Parliamentary taxes on the colonial peoples started with the Navigation Acts in 1660, but they were not an issue to the colonial people because they were too difficult to enforce. Then in 1764 the Stamp Act was passed, this was the first direct tax on the colonists. The Navigations Acts and the Sugar Acts of 1764, which was a tax placed on imported molasses and sugar, had not directly affected colonists, it affected the merchants. The merchants in hand would just raise prices. The stamp act was completely different. It said that any document or printed item would need to have a stamp placed on it purchased from the British government. The Stamp Act upset the colonists; it would be their real reason for rebellion. The time when the stamp act was passed is when we hear the infamous line “No taxation without representation” and they were right to make that demand. The mistake of not making simple…

    • 1765 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Stamp Act was a tax imposed by the British government on the American colonies. British taxpayers already paid a stamp tax and Massachusetts briefly experimented with a similar law, but the Stamp Act imposed on colonial residents went further than the existing ones. The primary goal was to raise money needed for military defenses of the colonies.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In 1765 England passed a new law called the Stamp Act. This act was meant to replace the sugar act because that act did not work. It taxed all printed items. England felt that they needed to tax the colonies because the colonies…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Stamp Act

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Stamp Act was an important act introduced by the British Prime Minister George Grenville and it was passed in March 1765 by the British Parliament. (Henretta 137) Its purpose was to raise money for the British army stationed in the American colonies. The Stamp Act required tax stamps for public documents such as newspapers, legal documents, customs documents, licenses, playing cards, deeds, and almanacs. Since Britain was left with a large national debt from the Seven Years’ War, the British government felt that since the colonies benefited that they should contribute to the expenses. As Francis Bernard describes the American colonies acted strongly against this matter. This all took place in Boston Massachusetts.…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boston Tea Act

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. This included Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, and other publications, and even playing cards was taxed.…

    • 833 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    independence from britain

    • 2136 Words
    • 7 Pages

    and the Stamp Act the following year. These acts caused the colonists to revolt and reacted with…

    • 2136 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the most upsetting acts that Great Britain passed was the Stamp Act of 1765. The act required stamps to be included on many different items, such as legal papers and documents. This was a direct tax imposed by Great Britain on the American colonists. The Stamp Act Congress then met in New York…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Examples of these taxes include: the Sugar Act (1764), the Currency Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), the Townshed acts (1766), and the Tea Act (1773). These Acts along with others laid the foundation for unrest and high tension within the colonies, towards Britain. Benjamin Franklin outlined the specifics of the taxation of the colonists, before the House of Commons, with his statement, "An External Tax is a duty laid on the commodities imported…, if the people don 't like it, they can refuse it, and are not obliged to pay. But an internal tax is one forced from the people without their consent" (document C). Ben Franklin being an intellectual himself could have provided an educated and relatively impartial statement. Britain mainly used internal taxes to extract wealth form the colonists, and thus seemed more unjust, as the whole process was by way of force. This created further resentment within the colonies and was a major cause of the American Revolution. The Grievance that discusses the taxation of the colonists, by the British was very much a valid…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sugar Act Dbq

    • 174 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Sugar Act, also known as The American Revenue Act, was passed by Great Britain’s Parliament on April 5, 1764. The Sugar Act involved taxing imported items like sugar, molasse, wine, coffee, etc. that were delivered to the colonies. The Sugar Act basically replaced the Molasse Act (1763), which was just having to pay taxes when buying molasse, but just added more items to the “taxed list”. Parliament used the tax money to help pay the debt of the French and Indian War. The act caused many financial problems with the lower class colonists and even led some to protest the act. About 50 merchants decided to join up to boycotted certain taxed items and grow/make the items themselves. The following year it was eventually repealed due to the colonist’s…

    • 174 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Causes Of The Stamp Act

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What was the stamp act? The stamp act was passed by british parliament on March 22, 1765. The people had to pay taxes for their papers, documents, printed material, newspapers also there playing cards.…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 1765, George Grenville imposed a stamp tax on the colonies to raise revenues to support the new military force. This stamp tax, known as the Stamp Act, mandated the use of stamped paper or the affixing of stamps, certifying payment of tax.…

    • 1099 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The act which imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Year’s War. The purpose of the tax was to help pay the cost of the troops stationed in North America. The british felt that the colonies in North America had many benefits having the british army in the colonies and should pay at least a portion of the expense. Local protest groups led by colonial landowners protested against the new tax law. Protested initiated by the sons of liberty often turned violent. The people at the colonies was not happy with the law imposed by the the British and wanted to find a way to undo the law so they wouldn't be paying more because of this. The stamp act was finally repealed on march 20…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Stamp Act of 1765 sparked colonial outrage because it was the first direct tax on the colonies for the purpose of raising revenue. Patrick Henry passed a resolution protesting all taxes, and seven other colonies would pass similar resolutions.…

    • 1176 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stamp Act Crisis

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages

    One major event that reveals insight on the cause of the American Revolution was the passing of the Stamp Act by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. It required the colonists to pay a tax for stamped paper that all legal documents including marriage licenses, diplomas, newspapers and even playing cards were to be printed on. Prime Minister George Grenville proposed that a tax should be imposed among the colonies to help offset the costs of sending troops needed for their own protection and maintenance. The revenue that would then generate from this act was to be used solely for this purpose. In addition to this, the Stamp Act would not only make money for Britain, but Grenville intended for this tax to demonstrate…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Empire In Transition

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This Act, unlike its previous iteration, did not prohibit paper currency, however, it did render it useless for any debts, private or public, which helped steadily increase the amount of debt owed by the colonists. Responses to this legislation were almost entirely negative, with each state, without the addition of Delaware, agreeing upon it being a so-called “major grievance”. Furthermore, they decided to release a new direct tax, the Stamp Act of 1765 shortly thereafter. This entailed a tax on all stamped paper, which was soon required for many purposes such as, attorney licenses, court proceedings, as well as pamphlets. The taxes differed depending on the paper’s purpose, for example, ten pounds sterling being required for all attorney licenses, and playing cards being taxed a shilling per pack. These accumulated to an exponential increase in taxes, and were met with widespread disapproval; twenty-seven delegates from throughout the colonies held a Stamp Act Congress, that same year. The Stamp Act Congress was created out of the need for the colonies to combat Parliament’s incredulous taxation policies, and together, the delegates drafted a series of petitions that stated reasons taxation was unjust, and how they should go about ceasing said taxation. Following these meetings, Parliament had eventually decided to repeal the…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays