In the aftermath of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) that was fought primarily on the European continent as the Seven Years War (1756-1763), the British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on the British-American provinces. These included the Sugar Tax of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765, the Revenue Act of 1767, and the Tea Act of 1773. The Tea Act is what gave rise to the famous Boston Tea Party that took place on December 16, 1773. Not only were these taxes to pay for an imperial war that was fought primarily on a distant continent, but they were also used to pay for the administration of the provinces by British authorities stationed in the colonies. Whereas the assemblies of the various provinces were elected by the colonists, the governors of each province were appointed by the British Crown. These latter public officials were outsiders who, too often, had little appreciation for the colonists themselves.
The Stamp Act of 1765 was particularly egregious, because it interfered with the legal proceedings of the various provincial governments. Each official document presented to a court of law or issued by a provincial assembly had to be taken to a tax collector before it would be allowed to circulate in the public domain. Upon presentation of the document and payment of a fee, the British administrator would issue a stamp that was placed upon the document as evidence that the fee had been paid. These stamps were even required on playing cards that appeared in local pubs that were open to the general public.
The Stamp Act was legislated by the British parliament in March of 1765 and scheduled to go into effect on November 1st of the same year. In the fall of 1765 representatives from nine of the thirteen provinces met in New York City to discuss the impending new tax. This meeting became known as the Stamp Act Congress. It was the first time that a group of colonies assembled to protest formally against the British government. During the Congress a Declaration of Rights and Grievances were drafted and ultimately signed by all of those present at the meeting. The Declaration was then submitted to the British government. Toward the end of the Congress an additional agreement was signed to provide the British government with an incentive to honor the Declaration and repeal the Stamp Act. This agreement was known as the Non-Importation Agreement. Although the Agreement was not signed by all of the representatives at the Congress it was signed by many an important merchant and tradesman who had not attended the Congress. It was a pact among British subjects resident in the provinces to boycott the importation of British goods into the colonies. This agreement was signed on October 31, 1765.
The Stamp Act was repealed on March 18, 1766 nearly a decade before the American War of Independence.
In liberty,
Roddy A. Stegemann, First Hill, Seattle 98104
Author of Mount Cambitas - The Story of Real Money