What Role Did Stamp Act Play In The Life Of The 13 Colonies

In the time 1770- 1790, the American colonies were being taxed on items like stamps, tea, and sugar by Great Britain so they can pay off their debts from the 7 year war. These increase of taxes were called acts, and we will be going into more detail about this soon. Great Britain politically involved with the colonies and gave them outrageous taxes for for reasons. At the time Great Britain has just got done with a war with France.

The colonists were upset in a variety of different ways; some colonists were upset about the act others others resisted the stamp act. First, the stamp act was created on March 22, 1765. This tax had to be payed on every piece of paper for example; they had to be payed on ship papers, legal documents, licenses, newspaper, dice and even playing cards. The actual cost of the tax

It was also an external tax meaning it taxed only goods exported into the colonies. The Stamp act started in 1765, It was passed by the British Parliament as well. It wasn't supposed to take effect until November 1st. George Grenville proposed The Stamp act and Parliament passed the act without debate.

This act required that many documents such as licenses, diplomas, contracts and even playing cards to be printed on embossed paper that had a tax on it. This act was the very first attempt to tax the colonists directly for activities that occurred solely with the colonies themselves. After the French and Indian War the British national debt skyrocketed and the Prime Minister was eager to pay it down before the government was bankrupted.

The stamp act placed taxation on a wide array of things “… For every skin or piece of vellum or parchment, or sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be ingrossed, written or printed, any declaration, plea, replication, rejoinder, demurrer, or other pleading, or any copy thereof, in any court of law within the British colonies and plantations in America, a stamp duty of three pence…” This was the first of its kind, a direct tax levied on the colonies, from the British parliament. The

The British made taxes on many items. The Townshend acts taxed lead, glass, paint, tea and many more items from Britain. The stamp act taxed newspapers, books, legal documents, ships, cargo, playing cards and lastly, dice. The British did this because of their lack of money. They needed money for weapons and soldiers.

In the mid-1760’s, several events occurred that would have a lasting impact on both the Americans and the British. Three different acts were implemented that began to spark conflict between the British and the colonists. The three acts were the Sugar Act, the Currency Act, and the Stamp Act. All three of these were implemented by Parliament to benefit them, but the new taxes had a significant negative impact on the colonists. Specifically, the Stamp Act effected the most colonists because everyone, no matter if they were rich or poor, would be impacted.

One of the taxes was the Stamp Act that taxed newspaper,playing cards,books, and paper. This tax started because the British needed money for the war because they already spent a lot on weapons and soldiers. Another tax was the Townshend Act that taxed lead, glass, tea, and paint. Before this act they had the Declaratory Act which allowed the British to tax the colonies. They took advantage and made the Townshend Act to fund for England and to show they have the power.

In order to make up for the economic costs of the war, the British government responded by greatly increasing the income of the colonies. Sugar Act, Stamp Act and Townsend Acts are three of them. Specifically, sugar, honey and other commodities are taxed. All printed matter must be approved and taxed by the British Government; moreover, import duties were imposed on goods such as glass, paint, paper and tea. These taxes covered every aspect of people's daily life.

It was created, because the Revenue Act did not bring in enough money. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper that was used. Ship 's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and playing cards were all taxed. The Townshend Acts of 1767 was the next tax that was passed. This tax was created by Charles Townshend on June 29, 1767 and imposed taxes on paints, paper, glass, tea, and other imports.

I lay dormant on my bed as I thought of what I had heard at the coffee shop. The word had gotten around in a flash. Just like that, the word spread all over the colonies in homes, in families, in coffee shops, in farms, in every ship and fishing boat. Everyone knew about one thing: they would be taxed. It was just that.

May 8, 1765 Dear Diary, It has been almost three months since the Stamp Act was passed. I could never forget the day it was. March 22, 1765: I came home that day, and my parents were already fighting.

The government then choose to reduce the rates on these duties but put in place measures that would ensure there are strictly enforced (Office of the Historian). The move was successful in increasing British revenue but also meant that the colonists had to pay increased taxes. Another implication of the war was a postwar recession that led to British Merchants demanding payment from the colonialist in sterling pounds for the imports they bought from Britain. In response, the government passed the Currency Act (1764) and later the Stamp Act (1775) which forbade the issuance of paper currency and required colonists to buy government stamps for all their legal documents and paper goods (Office of the Historian). The American colonialist had a negative reaction to the passage of these Acts based on the fact that they were against their mother country imposing internal duties on their businesses, secondly they were increasingly perceiving themselves as a separate entity from Britain, and lastly the taxes came at a difficult economic period for the colonialists (Keown,

The colonists wanted representation when it came down to being taxed, but the British government would not allow it. The government wanted full control over the people, so they made sets of acts and laws that were placed on taxation. For example, the Stamp Acts of 1765. These acts taxed all papers, pamphlets, newspapers, and cards. The Townshend Acts of 1767 were also a large part of taxation.

Arguably, these taxes were only placed by Britain to “milk” the colonies for profit. Ben Franklin responded to the Stamp Act, writing a letter to John Hughs to discuss efforts to get it repealed (Document G). . In a way, the series of taxes applied by Parliament would spark a fire within the colonists and begin the American Revolution, where Americans finally say enough is enough. The time had come for political and ideological change, where the colonies would break from their motherland, Great Britain. In conclusion, the French Indian War would kick off a series of political, economic, and ideological events that changed the relationship between Britain and its colonies forever.