Stamp Act of 1765
Taxation without Representation
Ryan Vote
March 8, 2010
U.S. History
It can easily be said that the Stamp Act of 1765 was the beginning of the revolution for the colonies of North America. Before the Stamp Act, there were other failed attempts to tax the colonies by the British parliament. Each attempt to gain money from the colonies was unlawful because there was a lack of representation from Parliament. The Stamp Act of 1765 was very detailed and expensive for the colonists. The Stamp Act was the final act of taxation by Parliament before the colonies started to fight back and seek independence from Britain.
Britain was struggling with a growing debt from previous wars. For example, the French and Indian War that lasted from 1756 until 1763 was very expensive for Britain. It nearly doubled their debt. The debt was so expensive that “Merely to pay the interest would require a heavier burden of taxation that had been known before” (Morgan, 21). Moreover, it continued to be expensive after this war was over due to the fact that Bute Ministry decided in early 1763 to keep ten thousand British regular soldiers in the American colonies. It was said that the soldiers were kept in the colonies because many would be out-of-work otherwise. Also, the American colonies “were a liability: until the Englishmen outnumbered the hostile French and Indian population, there would be constant danger of repossession by France in a future war” (Morgan, 22). Therefore, British Parliament felt that it was necessary to keep soldiers within the colonies. Because of this, Parliament looked directly at the colonies for money to help their own debt. “In all fairness the Americans should help support the army protecting them” (Morgan, 22). George Grenville of British Parliament, who became the Prime Minister in April of 1763, undertook the job of finding ways to alleviate his country’s debt. He thought “Americans were grossly under taxed by comparison with Englishmen” (Morgan, 23). Giving
Ryan Vote
March 8, 2010
U.S. History
It can easily be said that the Stamp Act of 1765 was the beginning of the revolution for the colonies of North America. Before the Stamp Act, there were other failed attempts to tax the colonies by the British parliament. Each attempt to gain money from the colonies was unlawful because there was a lack of representation from Parliament. The Stamp Act of 1765 was very detailed and expensive for the colonists. The Stamp Act was the final act of taxation by Parliament before the colonies started to fight back and seek independence from Britain.
Britain was struggling with a growing debt from previous wars. For example, the French and Indian War that lasted from 1756 until 1763 was very expensive for Britain. It nearly doubled their debt. The debt was so expensive that “Merely to pay the interest would require a heavier burden of taxation that had been known before” (Morgan, 21). Moreover, it continued to be expensive after this war was over due to the fact that Bute Ministry decided in early 1763 to keep ten thousand British regular soldiers in the American colonies. It was said that the soldiers were kept in the colonies because many would be out-of-work otherwise. Also, the American colonies “were a liability: until the Englishmen outnumbered the hostile French and Indian population, there would be constant danger of repossession by France in a future war” (Morgan, 22). Therefore, British Parliament felt that it was necessary to keep soldiers within the colonies. Because of this, Parliament looked directly at the colonies for money to help their own debt. “In all fairness the Americans should help support the army protecting them” (Morgan, 22). George Grenville of British Parliament, who became the Prime Minister in April of 1763, undertook the job of finding ways to alleviate his country’s debt. He thought “Americans were grossly under taxed by comparison with Englishmen” (Morgan, 23). Giving
Cited: Franklin, Benjamin, colonial agent in London. Personal interview. 1766. Morgan, Edmund S. and Helen M. Morgan. The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution. Williamsburg, Virginia: The University of North Carolina Press, 1995. Otis, James. The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved. 1763. Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. 14 February, 1776.