Stamp Act Dbq

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In 1763, the French and Indian War coming to a tiring finale, the British wrote the Proclamation of 1763. Evidently, the proclamation would favor Britain’s ambitions; its purpose was to stomp out an Indian rebellion led by Pontiac, called Pontiac’s Rebellion, who wanted to protest the policies created by the British. It also prevented the colonists, consequently, from traveling into western territories and settling there. The colonists and the Indians were efficiently separated from each other and their disparities, but the purpose of the proclamation was the equivalent of preventing the colonists from spreading too far from the control of the British government. The colonists wished to expand; however, westward expansion was a fickle topic …show more content…

With the French and Indian War over, Britain was in dire need of money to pay for its war debts. Thus, the easiest and most effective source of revenue was to tax the colonists, who the British believed should shoulder some of the costs of the war. The Stamp Act, in short, enforced a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, such as newspapers, pamphlets, and even playing cards. Without delay, the colonists argued that the act was unconstitutional, asserting that the groups representing them were the only people allowed to tax them; it was clear, long before then, that Britain would never be able to represent the best interests of the colonists, and, therefore, should not be able to tax them. Many colonists, consequently, assembled into mobs and intimidated the stamp collectors into resigning, and in turn, reduced its effectiveness. Fortunately, the Stamp Act was repealed a year later. In due time, the Tea Act would be created in 1773 and the heat of the divide between Britain and the colonies would boil; the result of the Tea Act was known as the Boston Tea Party. Britain was attempting to support the dying East India Company by changing the duties of the Tea Act in 1773. The Sons of Liberty, an organization created to protect the rights of the colonists, entered the Boston harbor, boarded three ships, and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. In the long run, the Boston Tea Party was

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