22 mar 1765 año - Stamp Act passed

Descripción:

A direct tax on paper for the colonists. It marked the first time Great Britain directly taxed goods on its colonies rather than regulating trade. The law required that any good made from paper made in the colonies, including books, commercial papers, court documents, land deeds, newspapers, wills, etc., had to carry a stamp that would be purchased from British authorities. Unlike the Sugar Act that mostly affected ports, the Stamp Act affected nearly every colonist, rich or poor, but especially hurting those whose business relied on paper. One of these groups was newspaper companies, who began running inflammatory articles against the British government in protest.

Colonists were especially upset that the tax was passed without their consent and without any representation in Parliament. Great Briain responded by reminding them of the country's system of "virtual representation," in which Members of Parliament represented all subjects of the Crown. They also reminded colonists that most British did not have direct representation in Parliament, even in the mother country. This was insufficient logic for the colonists, who began protesting for "no taxation without representation." They insisted that the consent to taxation was essential to the liberty of Britons. The protests soon turned violent, with colonists burning and stoning effigies of tax collectors, tar and feathering actual tax collectors, raiding homes and burning boats. The Stamp Act Congress was formed to protest the act, and colonists started boycotting British goods, the first major cooperations between the colonies. The Sons of Liberty, a radical groups of protesters, was formed. The boycotts started to damage British business, making the tax unprofitable in the long run. Backing down from the pressure, Great Britain repealed the tax less than a year after it was passed.

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