Short Story: A Colonial Family's Reaction To The Stamp Act

This essay focuses on the appropriate action of the colonists in response to taxation imposed by the British crown. During the American Revolution, a series of laws were approved during 1763 to 1775 to control trade. Not only did the legislation caused a lot of chaos between the American colonists and the British government, but also there were certain events that led up to taxation. The occurrences were the British crown views on the taxation, and the reaction of the colonies in response to the taxation that was imposed by the British Government.

In 1766, they all issued a Declaratory Act. The Stamp Act directed immediately to the colonists. The act had paid for the troops that were stationed in the colonies. They

After seven years of the fighting the French and Indian War, tensions had grown between Britain and its American colonies. In response to the substantial debt Britain was burdened with after the war, they began taxing the colonist with the intent of recuperating their losses. The colonist, who had not been given representation in the British parliament, felt the taxes were unfair. After more than a decade of increased restrictions and taxes, the prominent members of the colonial society were left with a decision to make: pay the taxes willingly or prepare for war ("Patrick Henry’s Speeches"). Although many colonists believed action against the British was necessary, only a few were willing to voice their opinions.

Some of the things that happened soon after they passed the Stamp Act was colonial resistance. Colonists did not want to be taxed on a war they didn 't even fight in or have a say in. The war was France and Britain fighting over who got control over North America. All the colonists were doing was living there and the war did not involve them. Also, violators of the Stamp Act could be tried and convicted without juries in the vice-admiralty courts.

Today’s event was a crucial part in communicating our distaste to how Great Britain is taxing us. I have a feeling that this will act as an importing stepping stone in the future of our colonial rights. After the Townshend Duties were dropped, except concerning tea, Great Britain has had the audacity to still try to warp our minds into buying from them. Although the Indian tea is cheaper and much more flavourful than the Dutch tea we have secretly been importing, we colonists have decided that there is no way we are buying anything that Britain has had to do with. Although I am weary from the excitement today, I can’t help but smile when I think of the clearly defiant message we sent the British.

Britain was cutting of and taxing the colonists an improper amount. The intolerable acts are what sparked the colonist’s resentment towards Britain, with biased taxes and unfair regulations. Patrick Henry’s empowering rhetoric in his “Speech to the Virginia Convention” uses an abundance of pathos to persuade and emotionally charge the colonists

The Sugar, Stamp, and Townshend Acts all say that England needs to tax the colonies so he can protect them. I found three examples of this. First, the Sugar Act said, “...it is just and necessary, that a revenue be raised, in your majesty 's said dominions in America, for defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same…” That meant that England needed money to protect America. Second, the Stamp Act said, “...toward defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing, the British colonies and plantations in America: and whereas it is just and necessary, that provisions be made for raising a further revenue within your Majesty’s dominions in America…”

In 1765 March 22, The Stamp Act began. It was when American colonists were taxed on any kind of paper product. Such as ship’s paper, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. All of the money that was taxed was used to pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachians Mountains. Although this act was unpopular among the colonists.

“We must all hang together, or we shall hang separately.” This was a famous quote from Benjamin Franklin while signing the Declaration of Independence. Britain and France had conflicting claims at the Ohio River Valley and started the French & Indian War. When Britain won the war, the king imposed taxes because he felt he should be repaid for the expenses of the war. This angered the colonists because they felt they should have had representation in Parliament to be taxed.

Once in America, the British fought many wars, including the French and Indian War in 1754, which left Britain in great debt. It was only fair to tax the colonies because the war was fought on American soil. It was only for the American freedom and to exile the French, but the Colonists took this the wrong way and declared the separation between them and the British Parliament. The Colonists should have never wanted independence from Great Britain, because in reality, Britain was providing freedom. “All they asked for was loyalty and money for debt due to the war’ (Gregg 1).

As expected, Britain put certain taxes on the colonies to help regulate trade and pay for transport of goods. However, many of the taxes Britain put on colonists were for the sole purpose of creating revenue for the British (Doc 2). The reason the British believed they were justified to do this was the belief that colonists still owed reparations for British support in the French Indian war (Doc 1). The colonists found these taxes so insulting that many of them refused to purchase British goods.

Between 1763 and 1775, there were three ‘Imperial Crises’ which occurred between the British and the American colonists. The conflict that was produced during this period arose through an undefined balance of political and economic power between the two parties. In 1763, Britain had just concluded the French and Indian war and was left with an immense and almost crippling debt of around 140 million pounds sterling (“Turning Point In American History”). In Britain’s eyes, the most effective way to reduce this debt was increased taxes. Unfortunately, the people of England were already massively overtaxed, which meant the last option for the British was to tax the American colonists.

At the dawn of the 1770s, American colonial resentment of the British Parliament in London had been steadily increasing for some time. Retaliating in 1766, Parliament issued the Declaratory Act which repealed most taxes except issued a reinforcement of Parliament’s supremacy. In a fascinating exchange, we see that the Parliament identifies and responds to the colonists main claim; Parliament had no right to directly tax colonists who had no representation in Parliament itself. By asserting Parliamentary supremacy while simultaneously repealing the Stamp Act and scaling back the Sugar Act, Parliament essentially established the hill it would die on, that being its legitimacy. With the stage set for colonial conflict in the 1770s, all but one

The British say, “The colonists have not fulfilled their responsibility to pay England back from defending them against the French and Indians in the war.” They were being taxed because they weren’t paying back their share but still got mathey didn’t understand that. “The colonists are traitors for not paying the taxes, which as a colony of England, is considered treason.” The colonists thought they could get away without paying taxes but that is treason. If you don’t follow the rules of the country you can get in a lot of trouble.

In the following paragraphs I will provide Vliet’s arguments for the change in policy, then use specific strategies to refute her arguments through identifying logical