oct 7, 1765 - Stamp Act Congress convenes

Description:

The Stamp Act Congress was a group of 27 representatives from 9 colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and South Carolina). Virginia and Georgia were blocked from attending by their governors, Quebec, Newfoundland, West Florida, and East Florida did not have colonial assemblies and so were not invited, and New Hampshire and Nova Scotia declined to attend. The Congress desired to create a protest among all the attending colonies against the Stamp Act. Timothy Ruggles of Massachusetts was elected as the chairman, and the meetings were held in New York City. On October 14, they wrote the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which included fourteen points of complaint against the British government. They drafted 3 more documents that they sent to King George III, the Lords of Trade, and the House of Commons, including a petition that was rejected by Parliament. The Stamp Act Congress was the first successful attempt to unify the colonies, and led to the passage of the Declaratory Act by Parliament, which claimed that they had ultimate authority over passing binding legislation.