Maier pp. In any case, they had no military role, as the Indian threat was minimal and there was no foreign threat. [21] The Act also taxed additional imports and included measures to make the customs service more effective.[22]. [52] [71] The Act occasioned some protests in Newfoundland, and the drafting of petitions opposing not only the Stamp Act, but the existence of the customhouse at St. John's, based on legislation dating back to the reign of Edward VI forbidding any sort of duties on the importation of goods related to its fisheries. Rebecca is a freelance journalist and history lover who got her start in journalism working for small-town newspapers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire after she graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. Maier pp. 2002, p. 24. Unlike the Albany Congress of 1754, this second meeting specifically targeted representation within the British government, something that had never been challenged before. Critical to this half-decade was the colonial response to England’s Stamp Act, more the reaction of common colonists than that of their presumed leaders. They also asserted that the extension of authority of the admiralty courts to non-naval matters represented an abuse of power. After the riots, Howard had to leave the colony, but he was rewarded by the Crown with an appointment as Chief Justice of North Carolina at a salary of £1,000. [101], William Pitt stated in the Parliamentary debate that everything done by the Grenville ministry "has been entirely wrong" with respect to the colonies. The Stamp Act of 1765 (short title: Duties in American Colonies Act 1765; 5 George III, c. 12) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in Americaand required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. Great Britain protects America; America is bound to yield obedience. "[88], The youngest delegate was 26-year-old John Rutledge of South Carolina, and the oldest was 65-year-old Hendrick Fisher of New Jersey. He rejected the notion of virtual representation, as "the most contemptible idea that ever entered into the head of man. They were persuaded to come to his assistance, however, when retaliation was threatened against their own homes. In passing the Sugar Act, Parliament indicated that a stamp tax could be forthcoming. This page was last edited on 10 December 2020, at 01:14. [34] The stamps had to be purchased with hard currency, which was scarce, rather than the more plentiful colonial paper currency. However, admiralty courts had traditionally been limited to cases involving the high seas. They nourished by your indulgence? There was no one in America authorized either to open the packages of stamped paper or to sell stamps. The newspapers appeared with a death’s head or some ingenious device in the corner were the stamp should have been.”. Only the colonial assemblies had a right to tax the colonies. What did the Stamp Act do? The Stamp Act sets a troubling precedent for a legal system driven by precedent, the colonists feel they are no longer in control of … "[40] The counter to this argument was the theory of virtual representation. John Dickinson Middlekauff used the wording from the journal of the House of Burgesses. Grenville replied that he wanted to raise the money "by means the most easy and least objectionable to the Colonies". Colonial legislators saw no need for the British troops. The Act was enacted in order to defray the cost of maintaining the military presence protecting the colonies. Wood, S.G. "The American Revolution: A History." "[106], A resolution was introduced on 21 February to repeal the Stamp Act, and it passed by a vote of 276–168. [69], The main issue was the constitutional rights of Englishmen, so the French in Quebec did not react. Miller, John C. Sam Adams: Pioneer in Propaganda. Ayers, Edward L. Lewis L. Gould, David M. Oshinsky, Jean R. Soderlund. Resolved, That by the two royal Charters, granted by King James the First, the Colonists aforesaid are declared entitled to all Liberties, Privileges, and Immunities of Denizens and natural Subjects, to all Intents and Purposes, as if they had been abiding and born within the Realm of England. Also, Great Britain is thinking that they are going to make a lot of money because they are taxing a … 2002, page 29, Miller pp. Cheered by the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 the situation in Boston was back to normal. Thus William Bradford, the foremost printer in Philadelphia, became a leader of the Sons of Liberty. Stanford University Press, 1936 During the war, the British national debt nearly doubled, rising from £72,289,673 in 1755 to almost £129,586,789 by 1764. Behind every swing of the ax and every hurled stone, behind every shattered crystal goblet and splintered mahogany chair, lay the fury of a plain Bostonian who had read or heard the repeated references to impoverished people as "rable" and to Boston’s popular caucus, led by Samuel Adams, as a "herd of fools, tools, and synchophants. [54] Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson ordered sheriff Stephen Greenleaf to take down the effigy, but he was opposed by a large crowd. Modern Library. Wadsworth, Cenage Learning, 2011 A majority considered it a violation of their rights as Englishmen to be taxed without their consent—consent that only the colonial legislatures could grant. The Virginia House of Burgesses reconvened in early May 1765 after news was received of the passage of the Act. Such help was normally provided through the raising of colonial militias, which were funded by taxes raised by colonial legislatures. Edward Tilghman [10] Post-war expenses were expected to remain high because the Bute ministry decided in early 1763 to keep ten thousand British regular soldiers in the American colonies, which would cost about £225,000 per year, equal to £33 million today. The tax on court documents specifically included courts "exercising ecclesiastical jurisdiction." However, the only other alternative would be to requisition each colony and allow them to determine how to raise their share. The colonist were very angered by this action. In the debate, Charles Townshend said, "and now will these Americans, children planted by our care, nourished up by our Indulgence until they are grown to a degree of strength and opulence, and protected by our arms, will they grudge to contribute their mite to relieve us from heavy weight of the burden which we lie under? Most paper came from there anyway, so there were "approximately fifty colonial papermakers who operated their own mills" who would suffer from decreased demand for their products. These type of courts did not currently exist in the colonies and no bishops were currently assigned to the colonies, who would preside over the courts. in journalism. Robert Ogden The worst political violence took place on St. Kitts and Nevis. Many felt it was a blatant attempt to make money off the colony. Twenty-seven delegates from nine colonies were the members of the Congress, and their responsibility was to draft a set of formal petitions stating why Parliament had no right to tax them. [13], Stationing 10,000 troops to separate American Indians and frontiersmen was one role. 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. Wood, S.G. "The American Revolution: A History." Weslager pp. "[29] This led to Colonel Isaac Barré's response: They planted by your care? New York merchants met on 31 October and agreed not to sell any English goods until the Act was repealed. Sources: When they want the protection of this kingdom, they are always ready to ask for it. The Stamp Act Congress was a predecessor to the later Continental Congresses, notably the Second Continental Congress which oversaw the establishment of American independence. Historian Gary B. Nash wrote: Whether stimulated externally or ignited internally, ferment during the years from 1761 to 1766 changed the dynamics of social and political relations in the colonies and set in motion currents of reformist sentiment with the force of a mountain wind. The British Parliament enacted the Stamp Act to help pay for the Seven Years War with France, through which Britain gained possession of North America. [67] By 16 November, twelve of the stamp distributors had resigned. Stamp Act, first British parliamentary attempt (in 1765) to raise revenue through direct taxation of all American colonial commercial and legal papers, newspapers, pamphlets, cards, almanacs, and dice. Henry Seymour Conway, the government's leader in the House of Commons, introduced the Declaratory Act in an attempt to address both the constitutional and the economic issues, which affirmed the right of Parliament to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever", while admitting the inexpediency of attempting to enforce the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act required the colonists to pay taxes on a variety of goods including newspapers, legal documents, diplomas and playing cards. [26], The Glorious Revolution had established the principle of parliamentary supremacy. By the end of 1765, all of the Thirteen Colonies except Georgia and North Carolina had sent some sort of protest passed by colonial legislative assemblies.[45]. [24] Opposition from the colonies was soon forthcoming to this possible tax, but neither members of Parliament nor American agents in Great Britain (such as Benjamin Franklin) anticipated the intensity of the protest that the tax generated. On 6 June 1765, the Massachusetts Lower House proposed a meeting for the 1st Tuesday of October in New York City: That it is highly expedient there should be a Meeting as soon as may be, of Committees from the Houses of Representatives or Burgesses in the several Colonies on this Continent to consult together on the present Circumstances of the Colonies, and the difficulties to which they are and must be reduced by the operation of the late Acts of Parliament for levying Duties and Taxes on the Colonies, and to consider of a general and humble Address to his Majesty and the Parliament to implore Relief. [36], The Stamp Act allowed admiralty courts to have jurisdiction for trying violators, following the example established by the Sugar Act. "[92] Many delegates felt that a final resolution of the Stamp Act would actually bring Britain and the colonies closer together. Their slogan was "No taxation without representation". The articles written in colonial newspapers were particularly critical of the act because of the Stamp Act's disproportionate effect on printers. David Ramsay, a patriot and historian from South Carolina, wrote of this phenomenon shortly after the American Revolution: It was fortunate for the liberties of America, that newspapers were the subject of a heavy stamp duty. Americans did not protests the newly adopted Declaratory Act, however many, specially Sons of Liberty members saw more taxation coming their way.. As John’s caseload in Boston increased he spent long periods of time separated from his family. [63], Rhode Island also experienced street violence. A People and a Nation, Volume I: to 1877. To prove that the tax had been paid, colonial merchants were … Throughout the colonies, members of the middle and upper classes of society formed the foundation for these groups of resistance and soon called themselves the Sons of Liberty. While they were as determined ... as [other factions] to maintain the sovereignty of great Britain, they insisted [that] the Americans must be treated as customers rather than as rebellious rogues who merited a sound whipping. All in all, twenty-seven delegates from nine colonies attended this early example of united intercolonial resistance.”, The names of these Stamp Act Congress delegates are as follows: American colonists initially objected to the Sugar Act for economic reasons, but before long they recognized that there were constitutional issues involved. Other popular demonstrations occurred in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Annapolis, Maryland, Wilmington and New Bern, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina. William Samuel Johnson “Summary of the 1765 Stamp Act” History.org, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm. Oliver Partridge, Connecticut: [99] The colonial protest had included various non-importation agreements among merchants who recognized that a significant portion of British industry and commerce was dependent on the colonial market. In August of 1765, a number of particularly destructive riots took place in Boston, during which mobs threatened to tar and feathered tax collectors, hung an effigy of tax commissioner Andrew Oliver from the Liberty tree on Boston common, looted Oliver’s home and office, burned down his stable along with his coach and chaise, and looted and damaged the mansion of the Governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, as well as the homes of a number of other customs officials. They protected by your arms? "[93], The Congress met for 12 consecutive days, including Sundays. A variety of products have been covered by stamp acts including playing cards, dice, patent medicines, cheques, mortgages, contracts, marriage licenses and newspapers. [55] This resignation, however, was not enough. [103], Pitt's response to Grenville included, "I rejoice that America has resisted. Miller wrote of the Rockingham ministry, "Of all the Whig factions, the Rockinghams were most benevolent toward the colonies. Britain needed money to to pay for its wars dept. They made efforts to control the people below them on the economic and social scale, but they were often unsuccessful in maintaining a delicate balance between mass demonstrations and riots. This was something new; Parliament had previously passed measures to regulate trade in the colonies, but it had never before directly taxed the colonies to raise revenue.[18]. Ebenezer MacIntosh was a veteran of the Seven Years' War and a shoemaker. The Stamp Act of 1765 was a law passed by Parliament taxing all paper used for printed materials in the colonies. That the Colonies have no Representatives in Parliament. The delegations from New York, Connecticut, and South Carolina were prohibited from signing any documents without first receiving approval from the colonial assemblies that had appointed them. It asserted that colonists possessed all the rights of Englishmen in addition to protesting the Stamp Act issue, and that Parliament could not represent the colonists since they had no voting rights over Parliament. Ingersoll accepted a position of stamp distributor for Connecticut despite his opposition. Resolved, That his majesty's liege people of this his most ancient and loyal Colony have without interruption enjoyed the inestimable Right of being governed by such Laws, respecting their internal Polity and Taxation, as are derived from their own Consent, with the Approbation of their Sovereign, or his Substitute; and that the same hath never been forfeited or yielded up, but hath been constantly recognized by the King and People of Great Britain.[47]. [76], The officers and leaders of the Sons of Liberty "were drawn almost entirely from the middle and upper ranks of colonial society," but they recognized the need to expand their power base to include "the whole of political society, involving all of its social or economic subdivisions." Timothy Ruggles in particular was Bernard's man, and was elected chairman of the Congress. The Sugar Act, to a large extent, was a continuation of past legislation related primarily to the regulation of trade (termed an external tax), but its stated purpose was entirely new: to collect revenue directly from the colonists for a specific purpose. The purpose of the Molasses Act was not actually to raise revenue, but instead to make foreign molasses so expensive that it effectively gave a monopoly to molasses imported from the British West Indies. Robert Livingston of New York stressed the importance of removing the Stamp Act from the public debate, writing to his colony's agent in England, "If I really wished to see America in a state of independence I should desire as one of the most effectual means to that end that the stamp act should be enforced. Only Pitt and three or four others voted against it. The colonist think that is is a violation to their liberties. James Otis Jr The colonists elected no members of Parliament, and so it was seen as a violation of the British Constitution for Parliament to tax them. Hendrick Fisher, Pennsylvania: The British decided to turn to the colonist to help pay for the troops. So long as this sort of help was forthcoming, there was little reason for the British Parliament to impose its own taxes on the colonists. The organization professed its loyalty to both local and British established government, but possible military action as a defensive measure was always part of their considerations. "[16], George Grenville became prime minister in April 1763 after the failure of the short-lived Bute Ministry, and he had to find a way to pay for this large peacetime army. The Stamp Act was repealed on March 18, 1766, but the repeal was more the result of a change in management than boycotts and protests, according to the book A People and a Nation: Volume I: “In March 1766, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act. The Molasses Act had imposed a tax of 6 pence per gallon (equal to £4.18 today) on foreign molasses imported into British colonies. Rothbard, Mary Newton. “The Stamp Act Riots & Tar and Feathering.” PBS, www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/popup_stampact.html [46] The Resolves stated: Resolved, That the first Adventurers and Settlers of this his majesty's colony and Dominion of Virginia brought with them, and transmitted to their Posterity, and all other his Majesty's subjects since inhabiting in this his Majesty's said Colony, all the Liberties, privileges, Franchises, and Immunities that have at any Time been held, enjoyed, and possessed, by the People of Great Britain. The Stamp Act 1765 was the fourth Stamp Act to be passed by the British Parliament and required all legal documents, permits, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. [48], There was no attempt to keep this meeting a secret; Massachusetts promptly notified Richard Jackson of the proposed meeting, their agent in England and a member of Parliament.[49]. [11] The primary reason for retaining such a large force was that demobilizing the army would put 1,500 officers out of work, many of whom were well-connected in Parliament. Despite vocal political opposition, Barbados used the stamps, to the pleasure of King George. Colonial assemblies sent petitions and protests, and the Stamp Act Congress held in New York City was the first significant joint colonial response to any British measure when it petitioned Parliament and the King. The Daughters of Liberty: Who Were They and What Did They Do. Since one-quarter of all British exports were sold in the colonies, they reasoned that a boycott of their goods would hurt British merchants financially and force them to join the cause. Printers were greatly relieved when the law was nullified in the following spring, and the repeal asserted their positions as a powerful voice (and compass) for public opinion. "[102], Protection and obedience are reciprocal. Weslager (p. 42) also notes that the paper used had to be pre-stamped in England. 111–113. The Sugar Act of 1764 was the first tax in Grenville's program to raise a revenue in America, which was a modification of the Molasses Act of 1733. By informing colonists what the other colonies were saying the press became a powerful opposition force to the Stamp Act. Three millions of people, so dead to all the feelings of liberty as voluntarily to submit to be slaves, would have been fit instruments to make slaves of the rest. This belief had never been tested on the issue of colonial taxation, but the British assumed that the interests of the thirteen colonies were so disparate that a joint colonial action was unlikely to occur against such a tax–an assumption that had its genesis in the failure of the Albany Conference in 1754. This movement had also spread through the colonies; 200 merchants had met in New York City and agreed to import nothing from England until the Stamp Act was repealed. tax imposed by the British government on the American colonies ", "The Colonial Newspapers and the Stamp Act" by Arthur M. Schlesinger in The New England Quarterly, Vol. To avoid draining currency out of the colonies, the revenues were to be expended in America, especially for supplies and salaries of British Army units who were stationed there. The Georgia distributor did not arrive in America until January 1766, but his first and only official action was to resign. Outside of Parliament, Rockingham and his secretary Edmund Burke, a member of Parliament himself, organized London merchants who started a committee of correspondence to support repeal of the Stamp Act by urging merchants throughout the country to contact their local representatives in Parliament. ", United States Declaration of Independence, American Revolutionary War#Prelude to revolution, Board of Inland Revenue Stamping Department Archive, "The Stamp Act: Troubling Their Neighbors", "Founders Online: Examination before the Committee of the Whole of the House of ...", "Glorious News, Boston, Friday 11 o'Clock, 16 May 1766", Digital reproduction of the Original Act on the Parliamentary Archives catalogue, Resolves of the Pennsylvania Assembly on the Stamp Act, 21 September 1765. The magistrates have been dubbed the "12 Immortal Justices," and 23 November has been designated "Repudiation Day" by the Maryland state legislature. Adair, Douglass. The Sugar Act seemed to fall within this precedent, but the Stamp Act did not, and the colonists saw this as a further attempt to replace their local courts with courts controlled by England. [72], Violent protests were few in the Caribbean colonies. Despite this, Jamaica produced more stamp revenue (£2,000) than any other colony. The British were shocked by the response of the colonies. [90] Six of the nine colonies represented at the Congress agreed to sign the petitions to the King and Parliament produced by the Congress. Raising taxes in Britain was out of the question, since there had been virulent protests in England against the Bute ministry's 1763 cider tax, with Bute being hanged in effigy. Unrest in New York City continued through the end of the year, and the local Sons of Liberty had difficulty in controlling crowd actions.[66]. Miller pp. This article is part of a series about the, British America and the British West Indies. Other resolutions passed which condemned the riots and demanded compensation from the colonies for those who suffered losses because of the actions of the mobs. Benjamin Franklin had created an informal network so that each one routinely reprinted news, editorials, letters and essays from the others, thus helping form a common American voice. Weber was released and faded into obscurity. But boycotts, petitions, and crowd actions were less important in winning repeal than was the appointment of a new prime minister, chosen by George III for reasons unrelated to colonial politics. Christopher Gadsden They petitioned the king to repeal the Sugar and Stamp Acts and told the king that colonial subordination did not include admiralty courts and taxation. It is interesting to note that in Australia where I live we still have ‘stamp duty’ on official documents, such as conveyancing documents for real estate and other instruments of an official or legal nature. Parliament felt that since colonists would benefit the most from the protective presence of the soldiers, they should pay for the cost. 216–223. Some of the more subtle Loyalist sentiments can be seen in publications such as The Boston Evening Post, which was run by British sympathizers John and Thomas Fleet. Thomas Ringgold [65], In New York, James McEvers resigned his distributorship four days after the attack on Hutchinson's house. to 10s. Schlesinger, "The Colonial Newspapers and The Stamp Act" p. 69. The Act was repealed on 18 March 1766 as a matter of expedience, but Parliament affirmed its power to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever" by also passing the Declaratory Act. 6d., with an additional 2s 6d. Nash pp. Riots occurred in New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Middlekauff p. 77. The act was implemented in both provinces, but Nova Scotia's stamp distributor resigned in January 1766, beset by ungrounded fears for his safety. The local Sons of Liberty were publicly opposed to violence, and they refused at first to support Weber when he was arrested. ", Roger P. Mellen, "The Colonial Virginia Press and the Stamp Act. Daniel Dulany, Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies, for the Purpose of Raising a Revenue, by Act of Parliament (1765)(reprinted in The American Revolution, Interpreting Primary Documents 47-51 (Carey 2004)). 75–76. Timothy Ruggles MacIntosh and several others were arrested, but were either freed by pressure from the merchants or released by mob action. Montserrat and Antigua also succeeded in avoiding the use of stamps; some correspondents thought that rioting was prevented in Antigua only by the large troop presence. Land grants under a hundred acres were taxed 1s. Throughout the Stamp Act Crisis, the Sons of Liberty professed continued loyalty to the King because they maintained a "fundamental confidence" that Parliament would do the right thing and repeal the tax. He further stated, "It is my opinion that this Kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies." Historian John Miller observes, "The composition of this Stamp Act Congress ought to have been convincing proof to the British government that resistance to parliamentary taxation was by no means confined to the riffraff of colonial seaports.
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