The Events Leading to Independence

9b. The Stamp Act Controversy

"The Repeal or the Funeral Procession of Miss Americ-Stamp"

Something was dreadfully wrong in the American colonies.

All of sudden after over a century and a half of permitting relative self-rule, Britain was exercising direct influence over colonial life. In addition to restricting westward movement, the parent country was actually enforcing its trade laws.

Puttin' on the Writs

Writs of assistance, or general search warrants, were granted to British customs inspectors to search colonial ships. The inspectors had long been charged with this directly but, until this time, had not carried it out. Violators did not receive the benefit of a trial by jury; rather, they were at the mercy of the British admiralty courts.

Worst of all, the British now began levying taxes against American colonists. What had gone wrong?

A tax stamp

The British point of view is not difficult to grasp. The Seven Years' War had been terribly costly. The taxes asked of the American colonists were lower than those asked of mainland English citizens. The revenue raised from taxing the colonies was used to pay for their own defense. Moreover, the funds received from American colonists barely covered one-third of the cost of maintaining British troops in the 13 colonies.

The Americans, however, saw things through a different lens. What was the purpose of maintaining British garrisons in the colonies now that the French threat was gone? Americans wondered about contributing to the maintenance of troops they felt were there only to watch them.

True, those in England paid more in taxes, but Americans paid much more in sweat. All the land that was cleared, the Indians who were fought, and the relatives who died building a colony that enhanced the British Empire made further taxation seem insulting.


– James Otis, The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved, 1764

In addition to emotional appeals, the colonists began to make a political argument, as well. The tradition of receiving permission for levying taxes dated back hundreds of years in British history. But the colonists had no representation in the British Parliament. To tax them without offering representation was to deny their traditional rights as English subjects. This could not stand.

The Stamp Act of 1765 was not the first attempt to tax the American colonies. Parliament had passed the Sugar Act and Currency Act the previous year. Because tax was collected at ports though, it was easily circumvented. Indirect taxes such as these were also much less visible to the consumer.

The Currency Act of 1764

The colonies were plagued by a shortage of legal British currency. To offset the problem, the colonies began printing their own Bills of Credit. These notes were not regulated, not backed by hard silver or gold currency, and their use and value varied depending on where they were issued. The result was confusion compounded by fear due to the erratic colonial economy. To assuage anxious British merchant-creditors, Parliament passed the Currency Act on September 1, 1764.

Essentially, the Currency Act gave Parliament control of the colonial currency system. It abolished the Bills of Credit altogether and put the colonists at a further economic disadvantage in their trade relations with British merchants.


– excerpt from the Currency Act of 1764

The Stamp Act

When Parliament passed the Stamp Act in March 1765, things changed. It was the first direct tax on the American colonies. Every legal document had to be written on specially stamped paper, showing proof of payment. Deeds, wills, marriage licenses — contracts of any sort — were not recognized as legal in a court of law unless they were prepared on this paper. In addition, newspaper, dice, and playing cards also had to bear proof of tax payment. American activists sprang into action.

Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, 1765





– "Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress," 1765

Taxation in this manner and the Quartering Act (which required the American colonies to provide food and shelter for British troops) were soundly thrashed in colonial assemblies. From Patrick Henry in Virginia to James Otis in Massachusetts, Americans voiced their protest. A Stamp Act Congress was convened in the colonies to decide what to do.

The colonists put their words into action and enacted widespread boycotts of British goods. Radical groups such as the Sons and Daughters of Liberty did not hesitate to harass tax collectors or publish the names of those who did not comply with the boycotts.

Soon, the pressure on Parliament by business-starved British merchants was too great to bear. The Stamp Act was repealed the following year.

The crisis was over, but the uneasy peace did not last long.

On the Web
A Summary of the 1765 Stamp Act
The Stamp Act encompassed much more than a simple tax on stamps — it called for a tax on every piece of printed paper, as well as newspapers, playing cards, and literature. This Colonial Williamsburg website offers a summary of the Stamp Act, including its background, colonial response to it, its repeal, and links to biographies of key players.
William Pitt's Defense of the American Colonies
English leaders and even families were divided over the issues the Stamp Act raised. Prime Minister George Grenville was a staunch supporter of it, but his brother-in-law William Pitt, also a powerful leader, spoke eloquently for its repeal. Here are exce
Biography of Grenville
The man primarily responsible for the issue of the Stamp Act, Prime Minister George Grenville, was unpopular not only with the American colonists. This short biography from Britannia reveals the major reasons he remained in office only two years.
Money in North American History
Think paying taxes today is a headache? During the colonial period, official British coins were in chronic short supply. The colonies responded to this shortage by using substitutes. By 1775, North Carolina alone recognized 17 forms of money as legal tender. This site traces the history of American money from wampum and tobacco to electronic funds transfer.
The Quartering Act March 24, 1765
Issued alongside the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act required the colonies to provide food, housing, and supplies to British troops. Read the text of the Quartering Act at this website devoted to laws of America.
The Stamp Acts Riots and Tar and Feathering
One way colonists reacted to taxation was with acts of violence. Tarring and Feathering, a medieval form of torture, was the choice for some reactionists. This PBS website offers a brief overview of this practice.
James Otis, "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved"
James Otis came out against British tryanny in the early years of the American Revolution. After arguing against British search warrents, Otis published "The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved" in 1764. This pamphlet was one of the first legal criticisms of Parliament's taxation policies and the full text is available at this website.
Why weren't there any stamp commissioners remaining in the colonies on the day the Stamp Act officially went into effect?