Stamp Act Of 1763 Analysis

The road to the American Revolution was paved by colonists who strived for equality, as Englishmen, and was prolifically influenced by taxes that were imposed on them without consent or elected representatives in the British Parliament. Duties were the result of the French and Indian War that was fought between the French, and Indians, against the British from 1754 to 1763. Britain’s pyrrhic victory proved to be detrimental, correspondingly to an immense amount of losses and national debt, approximately $150,000,000. In the stages of a new British ministry, George Grenville becomes the prime minister in 1763. To rectify for the what was lost and ameliorate Britain’s national debt, Grenville generated a series of taxes for an accretion of revenue from the colonies; thus the Stamp Act of 1765, which had the harshest colonial reaction. During the period of 1763 to 1776, the American colonies developed significantly socially, economically, and
politically. Although the changes within the colonies were quite diverse, the beginning of the social, economic, and political maturation of the American colonies began with the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act of 1765 affected all colonists, not just New England merchants because it was the first to place a tax on American goods and services with the colonies. The act was issued to produce revenue for the purpose of British self-interest, rather than regulate trade. Colonists became infuriated primarily because they strongly believed that they shouldn't be taxed without representation. This was the emergence of colonial unity, a socially, significant, and vital maturation yielded by the Stamp Act. An increase in colonists started to become closely associated with the old Whig principle. It conveyed that no Englishman could be taxed without his own consent through Parliament. One example of this was that colonists who affiliated themselves with the old Whig philosophy called themselves true Whigs and needed to humiliate any Tory in political power. Colonists argued that it was unconstitutional, to take them with representation. In one manner, they all concluded that the mother country was enforcing their chains of tyranny onto the colonies and needed to unite, in order to rebel. On the other hand, colonial economy drastically evolved in response to the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act placed a tax on every form of printed product- newspapers, pamphlets, bonds, license, deeds, leases, and even college diplomas. Before and, especially, after the Stamp Act, mercantilism was widely accepted as the colonial economic system. The three rules of mercantilism were: there was a limited amount of wealth in the world, money (bullion) equals political power, and always export more than imported. As mentioned before, the Stamp Act was the first tax to be placed within the colonies, specifically on American goods and services, rather than imports and exports. As the mother country was using the colonies as a source of wealth, the colonies were able to produce raw materials and exchange manufactured goods for Britain, without worrying of being burdened by a tax. This economic growth stimulated an increase in the standard of colonial living, which is considered a prime progress on the road to the Revolution. Lastly, the Stamp Act incomparably improved the American colonies politically.
The reverberation of the Stamp Act ultimately resulted in the Stamp Act Congress, 1765, which formulated the Declaration of Rights and Grievances. Previously, other political groups were formed, such as, the Sons of Liberty in Boston and the Virginia House of Burgesses, which was the first official low against the Stamp Act with the Virginia Resolves, inspired by Patrick Henry. The formations of these small political groups became a strong foundation for succeeding taxes that were considered injustice: Committees of Correspondence, Association, Daughters of Liberty, and the first and second Continental Congresses. When British Parliament did not allow colonists to have elected colonial officials to serve in Parliament, colonists decided to take matters into their own hands; hence the political organizations. Thier primary goal was: if there was no representation in the British government, then it is up to the colonies to make their
own. As colonists slowly trudge down the road to Revolution, many taxes were issued to predominantly generate revenue for Britain, due to its “loss” in the French and Indian war. Most importantly, the Stamp Act of 1765 ignites the social, economic, and political changes of the maturation of America. It stirred up a need for colonial unity a protest, as well as initiated an exploration of colonial rights. From the start of America, colonists were affiliated with essential principles including self-government, religious freedom, economic property, opportunity, and territorial expansion. These values seemed threatened by British efforts to tighten control over the colonies. However,