The Stamp Act

The Stamp Act

     The Stamp Act was the name of a law imposed on March 22, 1765. This was a way to increase the money for England because of the debts they owed by the Seven Year War/ French & Indian War. The nation had a great debt which reached £130,000,000 great by 1764. another contribution was that the government made the decision of retaining a standing army of 10,000 men in north America for defense. While Baute who was the the governor had made this decision George Grenville, who was his successor, was left with the debt.


     He began analyzing taxation options for raising the necessary funds. He first enforced the Sugar Act but it wasn't enough so he created The Stamp Act. In Britain it gave great success and they thought in the Colonies it will have the same effect. Stamp Acts were levied on documents, books, deeds, newspaper and also the playing cards. Every printed paper was taxed. Its date to be effective was on November 1 of that same year.

     A very key issue that quickly emerged against this tax was that colonists argued they had 'taxation without representation'. A law in the parliament stated that it forbade the imposition of taxes without the consent of Parliament. Colonists said that the only people who could raise their taxes where their own leaders. Many violent protests emerged in the colonies. There were many mobs attacks in the colonies mostly to the stamp distributors. These actions were made by a group named ''The Sons of Liberty''.

     In October 1765, Lord Rockingham, knew about the furious mobs and the attacks in the colonies. He had a lot of presure  because the business were going bad. They decided to repeal the act. But this act had an imperfection that if it was repealed, The Declaratory Act must be passed. The Stamp Act was officially repealed on March 18, 1766.