The Influence Of The Stamp Act

After developing the colonies, many members of these colonial societies associated themselves with being American and not fully English. As Britain tries to keep the colonies strictly under its control, America was having an identity crisis as to whether they had to follow the exact ruling of Britain. The colonies struggled to define exactly who they were and how supportive they were of each other. With the Declaration Act in 1766, colonies were defining exactly where they stood with Britain, more independent than the motherland had hoped, and how the colonies would work together, unified for the same cause. The colonies all agreed that representatives of the people are a necessity in the government, but the relationship to England and the
In the 17th century mainly white, male property owners had a say in the government, since their job related to the function of the colony as a trade station. To have a government that is democratic the needs of the people are heard rather than being suppress which would lead to boycotting, like that surrounding the Stamp Act where the English government was negligent of the treatment and representation of the colonies. The Mayflower Compact, written in 1620, is centered on people having a say in their government specifically stating that the people will be a “common consent [and] agree to make and choose” in a “civil body politic”. This shows the intentions for the colonizers even before they landed on Plymouth Rock and how they all started off in a committed agreement, always knowing that they needed a society without a monarchy like Great Britain. With this plan of government already set out, larger plans, plans of union, were written keeping in mind the goals and criteria of the colonies in a hope to keep the peace and use the help of the colonizers to reach the overall unified goal. The Albany Plan, for example, written in 1754 declares in criteria one that “the representatives of the people” will choose the leaders who are most sincere in following the intentions of the
First there were many ideas where the colonies would use the league of friendship and amity for offence and defense,” explained by the New England Confederation in 1643. By having a community so close together, it was easy to declare some military contribution, where colonies “raise and pay soldiers” so that there can be the “most equal and just” society, described in the Albany Act of 1754. The militia gave the colonist a sense of self protection, a group of people they trust who will stand up to Britain or other opposing countries. Many other plans contradicted the plan for militia, representing the people that wanted to have “peace and safety” described by the William Penn Plan for Union of 1697. Majority of the plans that wanted peace were “established according to God” like the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut of 1639. By creating a plan in the ideals of God, means that they would strictly follow the pacifistic laws of God, and would not need a military. While the differences between the overall goal of the colonies is a difference in style of leading one’s life, the radical ideas of some people including Ben Franklin change the entire mission of the colonies from new discovered independence to staying under represented British property. Ben Franklin states