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Stamp Act Dbq

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The Stamp Act was one of the first attempts by the British to collect taxes from the colonists in 1765. The colonists were vehemently opposed to it and boycotted, rioted, and intimated stamp distributors. These acts were performed largely by a group known as the Sons of Liberty who were present in each colony and were able to intimidate each colony’s stamp distributor to stop selling the required stamps. Finally, “crowd politics” played a crucial role in this early opposition to the Stamp Act because the large crowds were able to overcome potential obstacles such as law men and voice their opinion as a whole to the chosen party. What is known as the Stamp Act was a law passed by British Parliament in 1765. The Stamp Act was passed …show more content…

It was the practice of presenting ideas as large crowds and overwhelming the subject with the support of a crowd. The crowds would flood into an area as they did with Andrew Oliver and make demands. Due to the overwhelming volume of people it was near impossible to discourage such gatherings and in many cases the one demanded folded to the requests of the masses. However, “crowd politics” can sometimes broadcast the thoughts of few individuals and not necessarily be for the best but because of the energy and excitement of the entire crowd with a singular focus the ideas move forward. This so called “crowd politics” gathered colonists together against movements such as the Stamp Act and led to the acts committed by the Sons of Liberty and eventually the American Revolution. The Stamp Act was one of the initial problems brought in by the British rule to tax the colonies in an attempt to recoup monies that were lost during the Seven Years War. It was supposed to be a tax on paper goods and included such things as cards and dice. The law was opposed, often violently by the colonists from almost every colony. The colonists boycotted, rioted, and intimidated stamp distributors to avoid paying this tax. The Sons of Liberty

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