The Act That Ignited the Revolution Essay

Many colonists were angered because of high taxes England chose to enforce on them. These taxes were a result of the British participation and victory in the French and Indian war. However, what made the colonists even more angry was the fact that they were being taxed without representation in England’s Parliament. The colonists thought that, in order to be taxed by the British, they should have representation in it. They saw it as unfair to be taxed by a government they had no say in. As Patrick Henry said in his speech made to the Virginia House of Burgesses, “We can under law be taxed only by our own representatives...The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it…” (Doc. 1). Since many colonists thought this taxation broke the law, some of them chose to protest by going to the House of Burgesses, boycotting imports, or simply not paying it in response. This response is justified; if

What colonial response to the Stamp Act and other “internal taxes” did Franklin predict? What, if anything, could Parliament do to enforce the colonists’ compliance?  At first, the colonists were unable to do much about the regulations. Patterns of Popular Culture 1.

The 18th century can be marked as a period of internal and external struggle for the American colonists. From improper representation, to unfair taxes, such as the Stamp Act, to being overall abused by Britain, the colonists were justifiably angry. From this anger, the slogan “No taxation without representation” was born and quickly began to emerge from the lips of almost every colonist all across America. The demand from colonists everywhere for no taxation without representation weighed heavily as a symbol for democracy, as it revealed the mindset of many – Britain was using the hardworking colonists and took their money without even giving them a say – and laid the foundation for the American revolutionary war, allowing more arguments and

By suddenly ending “salutary neglect”, the British Parliament had, unknowing, prompted the beginnings of the Americans' grievances. Though not much protest occurred in response to the Proclamation (most colonists moved West anyways), the Act itself would set a precedent for Americans' sense of anxiety. The first direct tax on the American colonies, the Stamp act, contributed significantly to the beginnings of pre-Revolutionary unity. With the rallying battle cry, “No taxation without representation”, the American colonists proceeded to call together the Stamp Act Congress. Not only was this event significant due to the fact that it was another group meeting, automatically signifying at least some unity, but major proponents of Revolution, such as Samuel Adams, started new efforts towards uniting colonists against Britain, such as the Sons of Liberty. The following several years, though not marked with tremendous amounts of unification, definitely contributed to a growing sense of anxiety and oppression amongst the American colonists. With more direct taxes such as the Tea Acts, Coercive Acts, and Quartering Acts. Grievance after grievance, the number of “unreasonable” British actions inevitably forced the Americans into a dilemma. While some colonists, such as Richmond Henry Lee, equated such acts to the British desire to “ruin” the colonies, others, such as Mather Byles, believed that a radical

     The passing of the Stamp Act by Parliament in 1765 caused a rush of angry protests by the colonists in British America that perhaps "aroused and unified Americans as no previous political event ever had." It levied a tax on legal documents, almanacs, newspapers, and nearly every other form of paper used in the colonies. Adding to this hardship was the need for the tax to be paid in British sterling, not in colonial paper money. Although this duty had been in effect in England for over half a century and was already in effect in several colonies in the 1750?s, it called into question the authority of Parliament over the overseas colonies that had no representation therein.

During the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson succeeded in defeating the incumbent, John Adams, and assumed the presidency. In terms of elections though, the election of 1800 itself was a fascinating election in that it a heavily-contested election and was effectively the first time political parties ran smear campaigns against each other during an election. The Republican Party attacked the Federalists for being anti-liberty and monarchist and tried to persuade the public that the Federalists were abusing their power through acts such as the Alien & Sedition Acts and the suppression of the Whiskey Rebellion (Tindall and Shi 315). The Federalists, on the other hand, attacked Jefferson for his atheism and support of the French Revolution

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.

By 1765, at a Stamp Act Congress, all but four colonies were represented as the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was passed. They were determined to let Parliament know that they were equal to British citizens, that there would be no “taxation without representation,” and all efforts to stop tax on colonists would continue (Kennedy, etal 2011.) Although Lord Rockingham, the predecessor of Grenville, sought to repeal of the Stamp Act, this in no way meant Parliament was conceding their control. In fact, while the Stamp Act was repealed, another called the “Declaratory Act of 1766,” gave Parliament the authority to make laws binding the American Colonies, “in all cases whatsoever.” In 1767, George III passed the Townshend Acts to collect tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and, tea. Recognizing that tea was a favorite among the Americans, it ensured greater revenue the British government. Again, the colonists’ rights for representation were ignored and they started to boycott British goods and ultimately, smuggle tea. When the Quartering Act was passed, which specified that colonists were to give room and board to British troops, tension began to rise. For two years, the colonists tolerated British troops on their soil and their dissatisfaction with the British Parliament and King George III became evident through many violent riots, abusiveness of tax collectors and destruction of property. According to Kennedy, etal (2011), Parliament, continually met with

The Stamp Act and the Sugar Act were both attempts at raising money to minimize the debt but colonists saw it as direct challenge to their freedoms, eventually boycotting the items under taxation. This sense of frustration was clearly exemplified in the commonly used slogan “No taxation without representation”. Also, Britain wanted to go back to mercantilism so that they would benefit from trade with the colonies and foreign entities would not. The Navigation Acts, for example, closed the colonial ports to all other nations besides England and the colonies were not allowed to trade with other nations so that England would be the singular benefiting market to colonial resources. The colonists found ways around this act and it only succeeded in escalating bitterness for British mandates. Through boycotts and homespun movements the colonists tried to avoid the taxes but in the end of the day there was only one solution to ridding themselves of unfair duties, tariffs, levies - independence (Document G, H,

Much of Anger throughout North America came from those who were at best minimally impacted by the taxes, in fact most of the angry citizens in Boston worked part-time jobs or were even unemployed. The sugar tax as well as the Stamp act, which put taxes on commercial and legal paper, hardly an important commodity of the lower or middle class, would not have affected them in proportion to their anger. Those that would benefit from the anger and opposition of these groups are the ones that the tax effects the most in the colonies, the upper class as well as those “Representatives from across North America [who] began to gather together in inter-colonial meetings, seeing for the first time their shared interests.” This “shared interest” was no doubt in increasing their hurt revenues through opposition to British rule. This was done by making the colonists place all their misfortunes and anger upon England until “demonstrations and riots were almost regular features of the colonists’ lives” (background, 82). Demonstrations done with “restrained, ritualized, often theatrical violence” and “carefully calibrated conduct” proved to be tactical moves crucial to

Prior to the American revolution, Great Britain imposed difficult legislation that significantly affected the temperament of the American colonist. One significant law was the Quartering Act of 1765, this act forced colonist in America to provide barracks and supplies to house and quarter British troops who were currently serving in the colonies. Another law imposed on American colonies from Great Britain was the Stamp Act of 1765. The British Parliament imposed taxes on legal documentation which required a stamp of authority to show the tax had been paid. This act led to the colonists' protest for "mo taxation without representation", which argued that taxation should derive from representatives of the people assembled in the colonies and

     The Stamp Act was created by George Grenville, the Prime Minister from 1764-1766. Britain’s national debt had soared to 133 million pounds due to the war. Grenville decided to propose several taxes on the American colonists, including the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act required embossed markings on court documents, land titles, contracts, playing cards, newspapers, and basically anything printed. Grenville figured that the tax would cover part of the national debt and the cost for keeping ten thousand soldiers in

“The story of post-revolutionary America,” writes Rosemarie Zagarri, “is the story of how American women and men sought to define – and ultimately to limit and restrict – the expansive ideals they had so successfully deployed against Britain.” In this excerpt from Revolutionary Backlash, Zagarri depicts the extreme radicalism of the American Revolution, while also suggesting that there were some constraints to its extremism. Unlike the normal way of life in European government and society, Americans desired a nation in which the inherent rights and freedoms of individuals were recognized and respected. While these rights and freedoms were ultimately achieved, many groups of people were still left out. Women of all kinds, people of color,

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair” (Dickens 3). The duality of the revolution is presented in the novel, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, it shows the true nature of the French Revolution and its powerful impact over the citizens, as Lucie and her beloved husband, Charles Darnay, get torn apart by the uprising revolutionaries that only see with vengeance in their eyes. When Darnay travels to Paris to rescue a fellow friend, he is taken away by the revolutionaries and put in prison

The British were taxing the colonist and giving them no representation in the British Parliament. The colonist did not think this was fair because they were getting no say in the way they were being ruled. The reason the British were taxing the colonist was because of their debt from the French and Indian War, which was not the colonists responsibility to pay for. According to Patrick Henry in his speech to the House Of Burgesses in 1765, the colonist could only be taxed by their own representatives. Henry also stated, “So how can the British Parliament place this tax on us? It is simple; they cannot! The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it…” (Doc. 1). The Stamp Act was one of the acts the British