History And Introduction Of The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was introduced in the year 1765. It was an act that was related to the payment of the internal taxes that the American colonists had to pay. It was imposed by the British government on the American colonists. The history of the Stamp Act is related to the Seven Years’ War, which began in 1756 and ended in 1763. It was a seven-year-long war. It caused the British government to incur heavy debt. According to this act, the tax had to be paid on all paper documents of the American colonists. The amount obtained from taxes in North America was used for revenue purposes. It was announced that the representatives of the colonies had to pay this tax. Then, the representatives of the American colonies under British control had to pay the tax on all sorts of paper documents they used (nesnay, n.d.).
Impacts Of The Stamp Act
But this rule created a situation of disturbance and confusion in the colonies of America. According to the colonies, this law was totally unconstitutional. They presented the point that this law was baseless and there was no logic to this law. They decided to stand firm against this act of the British government. They joined their hands together. And, in the form of a massive and violent crowd, they forced and intimidated the stamp collector into resigning from his job. There was a condition of turmoil in the state.
Declaratory Act
Seeing the worsening condition of the colonies, the British government issued another act in 1766. This act was named the Declaratory Act. In this act, it was clearly announced that any law or act could be applied in any of the colonies if it was considered beneficial. So, according to the Declaratory Act, it became clear to the people of the colonies that any law or act could be imposed on the colonies, whether it was supported by the people of the colonies or not. The matter was entirely in the hands of the higher authorities. So, they had to bear the rules and the regulations of the higher authorities. The system of the colonies was turning into a system of slavery. It began to create feelings of hatred and rebellion among American colonists. The Stamp Act was the start of the rebellion in the colonies of America. It was for the same reason that, ten years after the Stamp Act, the Americans were standing with their army in front of the British government (nesnay, n.d.).
Causes Of Stamp Act Implementation
The Seven Years’ War was fought between France and Great Britain. This war concerned control of North America. As a result of the war, Great Britain gained control of Canada, and France was completely driven out of the continent. Although Britain won the Seven Years’ War, it came under the burden of heavy debt. The most beneficial party of the war was the American colonists who had been in a state of war with France for 80 years. After the war, when Britain incurred debt, it decided that the colonies had to play a part in reducing it. Britain had a long and wide system of colonies that it got through the system of the trade like subcontinent. Britain established many other acts that applied only to the colonies, not to the British public itself. The first such act was the Sugar Act, which was introduced in 1764. In this act, new duties were imposed on sugar and other products. The number of such acts was increasing in the colonies. Similar to the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act was introduced only for the American colonies. It was introduced by the first prime minister and the minister of the Treasury George Grenville.
The Reaction Of American Colonies To Act
The fact that frustrated the people of the American colonies was that the Stamp Act was passed by the government without any kind of restriction and it was implemented in the American colonies. There was considerable opposition to the Stamp Act among the people of the American colonies. One of the opponents of the Stamp Act said in his speech, “Give me liberty, or give me death.” America was getting affected by this. This was creating frustration and unrest among them. Their colonies were falling into a condition of slavery. It was not only necessary for them but also the need of the time that they should raise their voice against it. If this were not done, then the situation would have become worse.
It was expected that the colonists would be given duties like the responsibilities of trade and other products. But it was not done. The Stamp Act was presented by the president and was imposed on the American colonies. According to this act, they had to pay the tax because they were colonies of Britain in order to reduce the debt that the kingdom had faced during the war. According to this act, the American colonists were informed that any printed document, whether legal or otherwise, would have to bear a tax stamp. The stamp would be provided by the commissioner distributor, whose responsibility was to collect the tax upon return of that stamp. The stamp would be applied to any paper material like newspapers, books, and pamphlets.
This also applied to playing cards. This was the worst form of the act. It created a sensation of rebellion and hatred among the American colonists. The colonies of the Americans were told that the amount and cash that would be collected from the Stamp Act would be used in the peace maintenance of the colonies of America. From that amount, British soldiers would be stationed in the colonies so that an atmosphere of peace would be established there. And it was also announced with the act that if anyone did not follow it, they would be declared a criminal and punished immediately.
An Initiative Of Colonies’ Resistance
Britain was experiencing economic decline. The colony of America was strongly resisting the Stamp Act. There were also parts of the colonies that accepted the Parliament of Britain so that they could maintain their trade and continue it smoothly. But they argued that the imposition of taxes should be declared only by their respective assemblies; not all taxes on the colonies should be imposed through the British Parliament because they were not provided with the right to choose members of the British Parliament. On the stamp that was being provided by the British for the tax collection, there was a dark logo on the side opposite the stamp. This was evident from the design that the colonists were going to lose their freedom soon. They would come under the status of slaves soon. It was a logical point that army troops would be stationed in the colonies when there was no fear of attack from the French. The presence of the army troops in the colonies was causing frustration among the Americans. Was it any kind of signal from Britain or what?
Rebellion Of Colonies
The Stamp Act was forcefully implemented in the American colonies, although they were not in favor of the act. Resistance began in the colonies against the British government. Now, this resistance was increasing. The first prominent person who spoke against the actions of the British was Patrick Henry. He encouraged everyone not to accept any kind of tax act of Britain. The message of resistance was spread broadly through newspapers. With every passing day, the resistance was increasing on a broader scale. When it reached the British government, they did something totally new and unexpected. They implemented another act. They presented another act before the implementation of the Stamp Act. The second act was called the Declaratory Act. According to this act, it was made clear that the British Parliament could implement any acts or laws in the colonies that proved beneficial to the British government. So, the Stamp Act was legal for the American colonies. From all these events, open rebellion emerged and ultimately resulted in American independence after 10 years (nesnay, n.d.).
Bibliography
Borrow, Thomas C. 1963. Archibald Cummings’ Plan for a Colonial Revenue, 1722,” New (accessed 2018).
Branes. The Dominion of New England: A Study in British Colonial Policy. New (accessed 2018).
Edmund, Andros &. https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=oDkwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA338&lpg=PA338&dq=%E2%80%9CA+Narrative+of+the+Proceedings+of+Sir+Edmund+Andros+and+his+Accomplices,+Who+Acted+by+an+Illegal+and+Arbitrary+Commission+from+the+Late+King+James+during+his+Government+in+Ne.
nesnay, Mary. 2014. https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/07/the-stamp-act-a-brief-history/ (accessed 2018).
Walworth, Alvord &. 1917. https://archive.org/details/mississippivalle00alvo (accessed 2018).
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