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The Stamp Act: Breakout Of The Revolutionary War

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The Stamp Act had far reaching historical significance as it was the first policy that British Parliament passed that directly taxed the American colonists and it set into motion a chain of events that would lead to the breakout of the Revolutionary War. The Stamp Act was introduced by British Prime Minister George Grenville and was passed by Parliament in March of 1765 to take into effect November 1, 1765. Its purpose was to tax the American colonies in order to help alleviate the debt that the English had incurred due to the French and Indian War and help raise money for the British army that was stationed in the American colonies. The Stamp Act required tax stamps on every piece of printed paper the colonist used, such as ship papers, legal documents, newspapers and licenses. The English government also demanded that the tax be paid in gold or silver specie, which outraged the colonists as most used paper currency or credit because gold and silver specie was difficult to acquire. The policies that Parliament passed prior to the Stamp Act had only taxed specific types of trade and commerce, but because the Stamp Act directly taxed all colonists it stirred massive protests. The colonists saw this as a violation of their rights because the act was to be enforced by stamp agents, with penalties for violating the act imposed by the Vice Admiralty Courts that sat without juries. …show more content…

From ordinary colonists that were drawn into the anti-Stamp Act movement there were mobs and riots, in Boston on August 14, 1765, a group called the Loyal Nine organized a demonstration that targeted appointed stamp collectors, such as Massachusetts’ stamp collector, Andrew Oliver. Due to the level of attack that these groups were displaying, stamp collectors, including Andrew Oliver, resigned before the Stamp Act started on November 1,

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