Personal Narrative: The Stamp Act

On a hot July evening of 1765 in Boston, Massachusetts, my friend Allison Porter, whom I had known for seven years, and her family arrived at my home. We had been friends ever since the first day we met. Although our friendship has lasted for such a long time, Allison has never come to my house before, for our parents did not understand how close we felt. After dinner, Allison and I wandered around the house. Seeing a newspaper on the table, I picked it up and started reading it, for I had always enjoyed reading. The newspaper headline glared at me, “The Stamp Act Angered the Colonists: Taxation without Representation.” I already knew that the Stamp Act, passed on March 22nd this year, required every single piece of paper, including playing

Allison and I, sent back to our rooms, made doll clothing and played with cards, but our ears remained strained to catch any conversation between our families. “Look at it this way, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the French and Indian War resulted in a high debt but also a British victory. In order to pay for the debt, we have to pay a tax because we benefited from the British victory. The British paid with their lives for this, but we have paid nothing. We are also under King George III’s protection, so the British have the right to tax us,” Allison’s father stated

He told me that he had invited Allison’s family so that I would not lose my friend. Father and Samuel Adams both wanted to convince Allison’s family to become Patriotic. After the initial pleasantries, the conversation turned serious. Hannah’s father told Allison’s father, “We have already been taxed a lot, and being overtaxed is not a good thing. I understand that you view it differently because as a blacksmith you will not feel much burdened by the tax, but Mr. Smith, a merchant, will have to suffer and pay the tax