13 Fun And Important Stamp Act Facts That Every Kid Should Know!

One of the most consequential historical events was the American Revolution that started off in 1775.

Several factors angered the American colonists against the British Government. One of the events that directly fueled the rage was the passing of the Stamp Act in the year 1765 by the British Parliament.

American colonies were helped by Great Britain to fight against the French army. The war was eventually won by the American colonies, but it took a huge toll on the assisting British army.

In order to bear the huge expense, the British Government passed the Stamp Act and believed that it was fair enough for the American colonies to pay for the post-war economic recovery in the form of taxes.

The tax was levied on all the printed materials, including newspapers, legal documents, and magazines. Naturally, the Stamp Act was opposed by the American colonists who argued that there was no representation of any of the colonies within the British Parliament.

Thus, a huge commotion began following this act. Many brutal steps were undertaken by the American colonists against the tax collectors as a form of protest against this unfair British tax.

Keep on reading to gain more insight into the Stamp Act and what happened afterward.

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Who was involved in the Stamp Act?

The American colonies were involved in the Stamp Act, which was brought out by the British Government, under King George III, in the wake of the post-war economic recovery.

A group of educated men, who were part of the American political elite society formed the Stamp Act Congress against the British. While these men showcased their disappointment by drafting grievances, another group of the American colonies openly displayed their anger by boycotting British goods.

They put forth numerous rebellions in the street and threatened the stamp collectors to quit their jobs. Two such groups were the Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty who brought about significant resistance against the Stamp tax.

The Sons of Liberty in Boston included the small-time merchants, shopkeepers, and artisans. Samuel Adams was the leader of this group whose remarkable contribution in the anti-protest movements led to the victory of the American revolutionaries.

He is, therefore, regarded as one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Other well-known members of the Sons of Liberty were John Adams, Benedict Arnold, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, and Paul Revere.

When was the Stamp Act repealed?

On March 18, 1766, the official Stamp Act was repealed by the newly appointed Prime Minister, Lord Rockingham. A document named, 'The Declaration of Rights and Grievances' was submitted by the Congress to the parliament which included all the problems the colonies were facing due to the Stamp Act.

The increased tension of the riots of the colonies led the Government to finally come to a decision.

All of the American colonies cheered this decision which they saw as their victory against the British forces. John Hancock, the Boston merchant, celebrated and offered drinks to the entire town.

The repeal of the Stamp Act was mainly brought about by the violent protests of the American colonists. Furthermore, the boycott of British goods affected the businesses of the British merchants. They strongly argued for the repeal of this Act.

However, the Declaratory Act was passed by Rockingham fearing the American liberty from the British parliamentary. Also referred to as the American Colonies Act 1766, this new Act made it clear that Great Britain was the supreme power and that any laws passed by them could legally bind the American colonies under any circumstance.

How did the Stamp Act lead to the American Revolution?

The Stamp Act was the first to impose a direct tax on the American colonies. The continued riots and protests against the British Government led to their repeal of the Stamp Act.

However, the road to American Revolution was paved by this event. Although it was repealed, the introduction of the Declaratory Act intensified the British parliamentary power over the colonies.

This made it quite evident that the British were not ready to surrender any control to the colonies. This asserted the fact that the parliament held the supreme authority and had the right to make any law for America.

New trade laws were imposed on the colonies just after a year of passing this law. The Townshend Act of 1767, further introduced new taxes on America.

An import tax was levied on a multitude of items including tea, glass, paper, lead. Plenty of new acts were passed by the Government of Great Britain.

The Quartering Acts and the Navigation Acts further made it clear for the British to create any law in the future and enforce more taxes on America. All these acts and countless taxes led the Americans to launch their war of Independence against British colonialism.

What was the reaction of the colonists to the Stamp Act?

The American colonists resorted to violent means of resistance against the British Parliament in contrast to the mere protests and drafting grievances by the Stamp Act Congress. The Sons of Liberty played a significant role in curbing the stamp duty by forcefully revoking the original Stamp Act.

In August 1765, the colonist group hurled stones at the house of the stamp distributor, Andrew Oliver after ransacking his house. This violent attack compelled him to resign from his post. Furthermore, Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson was attacked and the group burned down his house as well.

The goal of the colonists was to make all the stamp distributors resign from their posts by any means. The mob burnt the legal documents and abandoned the British goods. They urged the American public to opt for homespun clothes and avoid British tea. The Daughters of Liberty participated in promoting the boycott of British goods.

Reason For The Stamp Act

American colonies were taxed by the British Government. Great Britain assisted the colonies to seek freedom from French rule, which was long and known as the Seven Years' War. This war mainly took place between Britain and France to claim the Ohio territory.

Canada sided with Great Britain, alongside America. The war finally ended and was marked with the defeat of France after signing the Treaty of Paris in 1763. However, Great Britain suffered from huge financial losses after the war.

In order to recover from the war losses, the British merchants passed the Stamp Act in the hope of getting revenue from the American colonies in the form of tax. However, the colonists thought of it as an unfair tax and denied paying any of it.

Since there was no one representing the American colony in the British parliament, the Stamp duty was absolutely unjust on their part and made no sense.

On the other hand, the British Government thought of it as a justified act, as the American colonists were enjoying the protective presence of the British soldiers. Furthermore, the revenue generated from Stamp Act would help Great Britain to include more soldiers in their army in order to protect their newly won land from further uprisings.

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