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How Did The Stamp Act Contribute To American Revolution

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After the French and Indian War, Great Britain was in a huge debt and had a lot more land to rule. As a result of their debt and their new land, they began to put taxes on the colonists living in that land. The colonists were angry about these taxes because they were getting taxed without representation in British Parliament. Two acts that caused some of these reactions are the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. The British actions after 1763 caused numerous reactions from the colonists, which ultimately led to the American Revolution.
When the British passed the Stamp Act, the colonists reacted in different ways. The Stamp Act , passed in 1765, put taxes on all printed goods in the colonies. Specifically, newspapers, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. The British enforced this law by having merchants put a stamp on all printed goods to show that the colonist paid the tax. This act affected almost every colony and there were two main reasons that the colonists were upset about it. One, they were being taxed without their consent. Two, they weren’t being represented in the British House of Commons. One of the more peaceful reactions to the Stamp Act was the Stamp Act Congress which was held in October 1766. During this meeting, delegates from 9 colonies met in New York City and sent a petition to King George. This petition rejected the Stamp Act, declared the colonists loyalty to Great Britain, and said that Great Britain had no right to tax the colonists (Document 1). The tensions between …show more content…

Overall, the colonists were trying to have a very minimal amount of interaction with Great Britain. As Patrick Henry said in 1775 “Give me liberty or give me death” (Document 5). Some colonists were so unhappy with the British that they were willing to fight for their freedom. Their reactions ultimately lead to the American Revolution and, from that,

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