1765 Stamp Act

The Stamp Act of 1765 was a British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain on February 17 and schedule to take effect on November 1, 1765. The Stamp Act required all newspapers and various items such as licenses, documents, diplomas and nearly every paper item to be printed on stamped or embossed paper in the American colonies. This meant that the American colonists were obliged to pay a fee on almost every piece of paper used for newspapers and legal documents. The Significance of the Stamp Act was extremely far reaching. Some of the concerns of the colonist included the following:

1. The previous policies and taxes had only applied to specific types of trade and commerce in the different areas of the American colonies. The colonists viewed the British regulation of trade as legal.
2. The purpose of the taxes levied by the Stamp Act was not to regulate commerce and trade. The purpose of the Stamp Act taxes was to raise revenue to pay for the Seven Year War debts by taxing the colonist rather than taxing the British subjects living in Britain.
3. The Stamp tax was introduced by a direct order from Britain without approval of the colonial legislature
4. Penalties and fines for offenses against Stamp Act were harsh. All cases for offenses against the Stamp Act were heard in the Admiralty Courts and decided by judges rather than juries.
5. The Bill of Rights Act of 1689 restated certain constitutional requirements of the Crown to seek the consent of the people, as represented in Parliament. Because the colonist had no direct representation in Parliament, any laws that it passed which affected the colonists (such as the Stamp Act) were illegal under the Bill of Rights Act of 1689, and were a denial of the colonist rights as Englishmen.