The Stamp Act was issued in 1765 by Britain on the America colonies. It required that all printed matter—newspapers, wills, deeds, pamphlets, playing cards, and dice—receive a stamp which must be purchased from an authorized stamp distributor. Although the actual financial burden of the stamp was relatively low, the colonists protested the tax so vehemently that it was repealed in 1766.
During the first half of the eighteenth century, Britain had allowed the colonies a great deal of autonomy. But after incurring a large debt from conducting the Seven Years' War against France, Britain decided to raise funds by levying this tax on the colonies since the war had been fought in America. Colonists didn't object to tariffs on trade, but the obvious scheme to raise money by levying a tax over which the colonists had no say raised their hackles. Colonists believed that taxes should only be levied by duly elected representatives, and America had no voice in Parliament. Another provision of the Stamp Act that bothered colonists was that offenders could be tried without juries.
Some colonial leaders viewed this tax, which was the first direct tax Britain had imposed on the colonies, as an open door to further tyranny from Britain. If Britain could tax them on anything at any time, and if they had no voices in Parliament to defend them, they could soon find themselves oppressed. Stamp Act revenue was used in part to pay for British troops stationed in the colonies, and having a peacetime army on their soil gave the opportunity for more oppression. The colonists protested the act and even threatened the stamp distributors—so much so that within a year, almost all the stamp distributors had resigned their posts. Britain repealed the tax, but more of the same type would follow. Colonists would object to those on the same grounds. They insisted they would allow "no taxation without representation."
https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/stamp-act
The Stamp Act was particularly injurious to American colonists because of the ubiquity of the items to which it applied. All printed matter, including but not limited to stamps, all publications, playing cards, ships' papers, and licenses were subject to taxation. In addition to its widespread applicability, colonists were very concerned that it opened the door to other tax schemes, and that the money it generated was being used to fund things that the colonial legislatures were not allowed to vote on, such as the massing of troops to defend the frontier and protect Britain's financial interests in America.
Colonists did not have representation in Parliament, and opposers of this and other taxes not approved by their local legislatures felt that the taxes were therefore unjustifiable.
The Stamp Act of 1765 was a new form of taxation that required colonists to pay an extra charge on every piece of paper they used. British Parliament stated that this new tax was required in order for England to finance defending the American frontier, bordering Appalachia. This rationale for levying a tax marks the first time that Britain cited revenue increases instead of commerce regulations as the impetus for new taxes. Because this decision to generate revenue in the colonies was made without working with government officials in the colonies, cause for concern rose among those who felt this tax was establishing a dangerous precedent. If the the British were allowed to impose this regulation in order to raise funds, what regulations might come next, and at what cost?
No comments:
Post a Comment