Patrick Henry: How The Colonial Reaction To The Stamp Act

1. What arguments did the colonist use to oppose the Stamp Act? The colonist were completely enraged when Britain enforced the harsher tax, the Stamp Act. The colonist felt that taxation without consent was a violation of their rights so they started to protest. The way the colonist opposed the Act was by filling the colonial newspapers, pamphlets defending colonial rights, colonial assemblies and even attacking tax collectors and officials.

“A Colonial Family 's Reaction to the Stamp Act It is 1765 in the colonies and the seven year 's war has just ended the long rivalry between France and Britain for control of North America, leaving Britain in possession of Canada and France without a footing on the continent. Victory in the war, however, had saddled the British Empire with a tremendous debt. Since the American colonists benefited from the war. The British government decided that the colonists should shoulder part of the wars cost.

Great Britain passed the Stamp Act which imposed an internal tax on every paper colonist used. To include newspaper, legal documents, and playing cards. The colonist felt that the Stamp Act was not treating them as equals to peers in Great Britain. The merchants had problems with the parliament. The parliament wanted to increase domestic taxes and control imports.

This surprised the British government. The colonists even threatened tax collects forcing them to quit their jobs or to even leave the colonies. Protests spread into the streets and groups like the Sons of Liberty encouraged the colonists to boycott British products. These boycotts soon hurt British businesses in the colonies. The British government was forced to repeal the Stamp Act.

The Stamp Act was a law that demanded all colonial residents to pay a stamp tax on effectively every printed paper including legal documents, bills of sale, contracts, wills, advertising, pamphlets, almanacs, and even playing cards and dice. The tax affected every resident mainly lawyers who were increasingly in a place of power. The act was passed in May and was planned to take effect November 1st, 1765. A great deal of colonists thought the tax was unfair and had almost a year to show their dissatisfaction through peaceful and violent protests.

Merited by the Stamp Act Congress being established, the Declaratory Act of 1776 was passed. From the colonists point of view, this was a horrendous act that treated the colonists as if they were the slaves of the Parliament; however from the Parliaments point of view, this was just another way to help control the uprising colonies, where if not contained may rebel against their

The Stamp Act of 1765 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which for the first time imposed direct taxation of all colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets etc. John Adams vehemently opposed it in speech and also

The American Revolutionary War was a war fought from 1775-1783, also known as the American War of Independence, between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the thirteen colonies. The colonies wanted independence and free from British rule. In order to gain their independence the colonies had to fight for it.

After the French and Indian War, the British set out to reform the relationship with the new colonies, (Shultz,n.d.). They issued a number of tax acts on the colonists to raise money. These acts were met with great opposition from the colonists, as they felt it was interfering with the liberties they had fought so hard for. Acts such as the Sugar Act, the Quartering Act, and the Stamp caused the colonists great frustration and this lead to rebellion toward the Crown. The Sugar Act would lower the taxes sugar and molasses, but much to the dismay of the colonists Europe had increased its enforcement of these taxes, (Shultz,n.d.).

In October of 1765, nine colonies, out of thirteen, had delegates go to the Stamp Act Congress in New York. Congress declared that British subjects in colonies shared the same rights and liberties as the King 's subjects including not being taxed without representation. This declaration was called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. Janet was very glad that Congress stepped up and did that. The Cranes ' were so glad that the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766.

The way the colonists reacted to the Stamp Acts is that they boycotted British goods. King George III reacted by repealing the Stamp Act and put the Declaratory Act in to that same day. The Declaratory Act is a law that stated that Parliament had the right to tax the colonies

They knew what they wanted and got it by making their own goods instead of relying on British or imported goods. This strike against British, in turn, caused people who disagreed with the colonists to feel embarrassed or ashamed. “‘In every colony, from Georgia to New Hampshire inclusively, the stamp distributors and inspectors have been compelled by the unconquerable rage of the people to renounce their offices. Such and so universal has been the resentment of the people, that every man who has dared to speak in the favor of the stamps, or to soften the detestation in which they are held … has been seen to sink into universal contempt and ignominy.’” This quote by John Adams in December of 1765 spoke the truth about the political consequences of the Stamp Ac.

Different groups of colonial families reacted reacted differently to the Stamp Act was the wealthiest of colonial families. The wealthy colonial families also reacted the same as the commoners, but were a lot less violent than the commoners. Wealthy people acted angrily they wrote letters to the British. They were protesting against this law. The wealthy colonial families were angry, but didn 't burn houses down.

The stamp act taxed even the littlest of things such as newspapers, documents, licenses, molasses and even playing cards. It angered the colonists, so they responded with violence.

In 1765 March 22, The Stamp Act began. It was when American colonists were taxed on any kind of paper product. Such as ship’s paper, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. All of the money that was taxed was used to pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachians Mountains. Although this act was unpopular among the colonists.