The Stamp Act of 1765

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In 1764, after the Seven Years War, Britain was in debt for more than £129,586,789. In 1765, George Grenville drafted his Stamp Bill, which consisted of fifty-five resolutions for taxing the colonists to help pay the national debt of Britain. Grenville introduced his Bill on February 6, 1765, and Parliament passed the Bill on the 17th of the same month. King George III put the Stamp Act in motion after the House of Lords further approved the bill in March. This act, and many others, on behalf of Parliament to asseverate control over the colonies would prove detrimental in the years that soon followed (Independence Hall Association, 2011). The Stamp Act was, according to Grenville (1765), “an act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same…” (para. 1). In taxing the colonies by way of the Stamp Act, Britain attempted to assert their control and authority over the colonists by making them pay taxes simply for having the protection of Britain. The Stamp Act covered many aspects of printed materials, and the paper had to have an embossed revenue stamp that came from London, England (Ivester, 2009). The Stamp Act itself contained strict penalties and fines for breaking the law, including death without last rites (Grenville, 1765). The price of the Stamp Act was exceptionally high by colonial standards of income, as the prices would still be high by today’s standards. For example, the tax on dice at ten shillings in 1765 would amount to $54 today. The Stamp Act also held some lofty fines for any violation of its law. A £20 fine in 1765 would be rough... ... middle of paper ... ...ndation. (2011). A summary of the 1765 Stamp Act. Retrieved on September 18, 2011 from http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm Independence Hall Association. (2011). The Stamp Act. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/stampact.htm Ivester, H. (2009). The Stamp Act of 1765: A serendipitous find. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.mitchellwilliamslaw.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1264420620StampAct.pdf Sage, H.J. (2006). The issue of representation: Actual and virtual. Retrieved on September 18, 2011 from http://www.academicamerican.com/revolution/topics/representation.htm South Carolina Department of Archives and History. (2009). Teaching American history in South Carolina. Retrieved on September 18, 2011 from http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/StampActExcerpts.html

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