Throughout American history, protest and revolt have been a key player in reforming policy and social structure of the United States. There have been many successful movements across the country since the Union was created such as women's suffrage, abolition of slavery, and the labor movement. However, the greatest movement of all had started the creation of America and influenced the rest of the world. This was the American Revolution. Both men and women had fought to become an independent nation that wanted to divide itself from the oppressive Britain that had control over the colonies at the time. From taxation without representation to increasing tension between British soldiers and the public, colonists grew angry and frustrated with the …show more content…
After the French and Indian War ceased, Britain decided to raise more taxes on the colonists to make up the debt. While a tax could be justified from the standpoint that the British had supplied troops that fought the war, it doesn’t change the fact that the colonists had no say in what they would be taxed on and how much they would be taxed. This was unfair as British subjects in Britain gave consent to the taxes they had to pay, unlike the Americans. This was frustrating as the colonists believed that they were not seen as equals to the British subjects that lived in the motherland. The Stamp Act of 1765 definitely raise the voices of those that claimed “no taxation without representation” as this tax was seen as an internal tax which could on be passed within the colonies themselves. Not only is that point valid, but the tax was ridiculous within itself. The Stamp Act affected almost every printed piece of paper in the colonies. This included playing cards, calendars, wills, Newspapers, and even dice. It is also believed that the high taxes on legal documents used by lawyers and scholars were to keep the academic class from growing too much. It was as if the act was designed to cause distress within the colonies as it targeted certain groups. This act led to the boycott of English goods and also led to violence as tax collectors were tarred and feathered regularly. Luckily the Stamp Act was repealed, however it was soon replaced by the Townshend Acts. The goal of the Townshend Acts was to decrease tax in Britain and increase taxes in the colonies. They are soon repealed as they are overwhelmingly rejected, except one. The Tea Tax was left in place as the British, of course, wanted to leave their foot in the door making sure the Americans knew that they could tax them however they like. Three years later, the Tea Act of 1773 was passed. This
The Stamp Act The Stamp Act was a tax placed on the American colonies by the British in 1765. It said they had to pay a tax on all sorts of printed materials such as newspapers, magazines and legal documents. It was called the Stamp Act because the colonies were supposed to buy paper from Britain. The items bought had to have an official stamp on it that showed they had paid the tax. No Representation The colonists
There was a tax on every piece of printed paper used like licences, newspapers, marriage license, and playing cards . The stamp act was made to help get the British out of debt after the French and Indian war. Another turning point was the Tea act Dec 15,1773 a big cause was the Boston massacre where "a taunting mob threw sticks, stones, and snowballs at a frightened group of soldiers guarding the customs-house on king street in Boston" (DOC C). A rule of the tea act was "whoever shall aid,or abet, or in any manner assist in the induction of introduction of tea, from any whatsoever, into this colony, while it is subject, by British act of parliament, to the payment of duty, for the purpose of raising a revenue in American, he shall be deemed
This was extremely disturbing to the colonies because of what they had written in the document about the taxes. George Grenville 's plan insisted that all of the taxes that they collected go directly to the soldiers who were protecting the North American Colonies. He also informed the colonies that those who tried to avoid using the tax paper that they would be tried in a court of law and not by a jury of their peers. The British Crown was ready to enforce these sanctions on the colonies, which is why they informed them of their intention to raise the taxes. The Stamp Act of 1765 was so unpopular and not liked by the people that they decided to send
The fact that the colonists (white, male, landowners) could have a slight say in how the government was run showed the beginning of political breakage of the colony away from Great Britain. In addition, the colonists’ victory in the French and Indian War taught them that they could unite in difficult times and triumph over adversity. However, when Parliament attempted to tighten control of the colonial governments and make the colonists pay for their fair share of the war, colonists were furious at the attack on their freedoms. Also, when Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, the colonists were upset that the British government would bypass their own colonial system of taxation; they felt that they shouldn’t be taxed by an assembly in which they had no representation. Combined this with Parliament’s other acts like the Proclamation of 1763 and the Quebec Act, colonists became concerned about the increasingly hostile Parliament which designed to limit their rights and liberties.
On March 22, 1765 the British Parliament passed the “Stamp Act”. The Stamp Act was put in place to pay for the British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years’ war. The act also required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp on various forms of paper and documents. This was a direct tax imposed by the government without the approval of any colonial legislatures. The Stamp Act of 1765 was a pivotal moment in American History because it represented the first direct attempt by the British government to tax the colonies.
For one, “taxation without representation” attacked the “free colonists’ well-being” (Holton 18). The taxation started with the Sugar Act in 1764, which taxed molasses but ultimately raised revenue. Although the act would prove to be beneficial, the colonists believed that they should be represented in Parliament if their products would be taxed. When the British subjected the colonists to the first internal tax, the Stamp Act of 1765, the colonists became even more furious and the thought of independence seemed better than ever. Previously, the British had created the Proclamation Line of 1763, which protected Native American land but infuriated many including the Founding Fathers who “dreamed of vastly enhancing their wealth by speculating in western land” (Holton 18).
In 1764 the Stamp Act occurred, this meant that they placed taxes on 15 classes of documents including newspapers and legal documents to raise revenue. The Americans didn’t want to pay those taxes because
When the American colonies mother country of Britain joined the Seven Years war their national debt doubled. In order to make for this debt britain decided to start taxing the colonies directly, which it had never done before. This taxation first came in the form of the Stamp Act which would impose taxes on comercial and legal documents, diplomas, newspapers, almanacs, and playing card. This tax was deeply upsenting for the american people and caused a great resentment twords the british, this resentment leds to protest by boycotting british goods and rioting. Later on, the Tea Act of 1773 caused the british East India Compny to gain a monopoly on the tea trade which excluded and impacted colonial merchants.
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,
When asking what the cause and results were, you may want to consider a broader picture... there was colonial unrest due to the taxes and policies that England imposed on the colonies; the colonists boycotted British goods. Resentment was especially strong in Boston, where 4,000 british soldiers crowed a town of 16,000 colonists. Scuffles ocurred, and on March 5, 1770, british soldiers guarding the Custom House were being harassed by colonists throwing snowballs encasing rocks at the soldiers. The crowd increased and got meaner.
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.
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.
The stamp act was created in hopes of bringing in money to help pay for the French and Indian war. The act placed taxes on almost all paper transactions, although this didn’t last long the colonist still had a sour attitude towards England for this selfish decision. The colonist anger lead to mass rallies, parades and bonfires. They had so much hatred towards the stamp act because it took almost all of their earnings they made making it very hard to survive. By the time of the effective date of the stamp act it was just a piece of paper.
and is not yet sufficient to defray a fourth part of the expense necessary for collecting it.” This push to collect more money and enforce new laws created a hatred towards England. In the Document it continues to say, “We observe with concern that through neglect, connivance, and fraud, not only is revenue impaired, but the commerce of the colonies diverted from its natural course”. England came to the conclusion that through their neglect towards the Colonies and not paying attention to them, they were able to do what they wanted. Britain enforcing the Stamp Act resulted in a huge deterioration to the Economy.
The American Revolution (1700-1790) was a historical event in time, where the Thirteen Colonies that became the United States of America, gained independence from the British Empire. Many historians would agree that the Revolution was caused by events and the growing differences between the colonists and England. The cause of the American Revolution could be summarized in the saying ‘liberty vs. tyranny’. The American Revolution was a struggle by liberty-loving Americans to free themselves from a dictatorial British rule. In this period, the Colonies protested against the British Empire and entered into the American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence.