Nick Sammartino
December 3, 2017
Hist 405
Primary Source Analysis
In 1765, as a result of one of the provisions of the Stamp Act, newspapers in Colonial America were now required to pay a tax on each piece of printed-paper they sold, using only imported and stamped paper from Britain. At this time, newspapers had already become a useful tool in generating public support against British control throughout the colonies. Individual motives often varied, and it can be seen quite clearly in “To Benjamin Franklin from David Hall, 14 October 1765,” as well as the following Pennsylvania Gazette article “No Stamped Paper to be Had.” The Pennsylvania Gazette was a newspaper started by Benjamin Franklin. At this time, David Hall was editor and publisher.
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The article is a fervent attack against Britain and the Stamp Act, outlining all the spirited protests throughout the colonies, and offering a list of resolutions to the British government. The article is impassioned and clearly aimed at mustering more support from the colonists. Comparing the letter to the article is interesting, as it shows the monetary motivation behind the decision to publish the paper without stamps; though the decision was publically painted in the newspaper as a patriotic protest. This act alone would have been just as influential as the actual printed words in the article. The article outlines the declarations of King George III in the Stamp Act, details the resulting protests throughout the colonies, including a riot in Boston, and concludes with its own set of declarations on behalf of the colonists, essentially stating that they will not buy any goods from England until the Stamp Act be …show more content…
In this case, the letter between Hall and Franklin shows that profits, and keeping customers happy, is their primary concern. If one were to only read the newspaper article, it would tell a very different story, painting the publishers, and the newspaper as a whole, as resisters fully dedicated to the patriotic cause. This isn’t to say they weren’t dedicated to the cause, but it shows that their actions in regards to the newspaper were far more complex, and primarily profit-driven. However, none of this means that there isn’t much to learn by analyzing only the newspaper article. The article itself offers clues to the type of revolutionary language that was being used throughout the colonies, and the types of acts that were being employed as forms of resistance, ranging from riots in different colonial cities, to a discovery “hanging on the gallows behind the Citadel Hill, the effigies of a stampman, accompanied with a boot and devil, together with labels suitable to the occasion,” (No Stamped Paper to be had, November 7, 1765). Overall, this letter from a chain of correspondence between Franlin and Hall, when analyzed alongside the corresponding newspaper article that was later published, provides a complex look into motivations different people had for participating in the Revolutionary cause
“A Colonial Family 's Reaction to the Stamp Act It is 1765 in the colonies and the seven year 's war has just ended the long rivalry between France and Britain for control of North America, leaving Britain in possession of Canada and France without a footing on the continent. Victory in the war, however, had saddled the British Empire with a tremendous debt. Since the American colonists benefited from the war. The British government decided that the colonists should shoulder part of the wars cost.
In the year 1765 the Stamp Act was passed, a tax stating that any paper object, including cards, documents, newspapers, and not limited to a will, this act sent a stir through the colonies and caused lots of mayhem. In protest, the colonists did many things in a haze of anger and hatred, here are some. The first thing I am going to highlight is the fact that the colonists were beyond mad, to the point to where the local paper refused to buy the stamps from the British (no paper = angry colonists) this caused more people to hate the Stamp Act and England. After this the colonists boycotted all goods from the British goods angering the merchants, taking a hit at the economy. After all of this the colonists raided lawyers offices and burned
A 1763 British order in council found that the revenue from the colonies could not even pay a fourth of the cost of collecting it. It also reported that “neglect, connivance, and fraud” had hampered revenue collection in a staggering of greatest need (Doc F). The British then saw it as justified to seek new sources of revenue from the colonies. The British extracted this revenue from the colonies through the Stamp Act of 1765, which required that colonists pay a tax on all paper goods. The goods were stamped, hence the name of the act.
The American Revolutionary War was a war fought from 1775-1783, also known as the American War of Independence, between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the thirteen colonies. The colonies wanted independence and free from British rule. In order to gain their independence the colonies had to fight for it.
Later Britain created the Stamp Act to collect money from the colonists to ease the debt that accumulated from the French and Indian War. Ben Franklin in a letter to John Hughs in 1765 comments that there is support to get the act repealed and that even though the success of the repeal is uncertain if the act were to continue Hughs’ would gain
(The Quartering Demonstration, n.d., para. 3) The Stamp Demonstration forced an expense on each archive or daily paper printed or utilized as a part of the provinces (Stamp Act Forced, n.d.). The expense was endorsed with no civil argument. Both acts alone would not have prompted war, yet the two together, alongside numerous different insults including the "Boston Slaughter," helped radicals like Samuel Adams, Paul Worship, and other New Britain nationalists prompt anti British conclusion that would in the end
The creation of the United States is considered by many to be a great experiment in democracy. After the War of 1812, America was filled with tremendous nationalism and as the young country grew, many nations look to it as both an inspiration and a warning. Americans seemed united behind their president James Monroe, who was elected in 1816 and then ran uncontested for his second term in 1820. However, even during this time there were many discussions and arguments within the nation’s own government regarding the benefits of democracy.
In 1767, The Colonies Reduced was published in Great Britain, while Benjamin Franklin is given credit. He was trying to warn of the consequences of isolating the colonies through the crowns enforcement of the stamp act. It was attempt by parliament to gain funds from the colonists to help pay for troops and the administration of the colonies. This act required colonists to purchase stamps (basically a royal seal) for most documents and items that were printed, such as playing cards, land titles, contracts, advertisements, books and even newspapers. Due to this act affecting nearly everyone it created hostility throughout the colonies.
The Press and American Politics in the 1790s Most Americans during the early 1790s deemed newspapers to be important to the republic’s well-being – it provided a medium via which the elected officials and the public could connect, find out what issues were at hand, and formulate policies that were influenced by logical, informed deliberation. In the 1790s, newspaper editors and correspondents, then new individuals with a new perception of occupation as political journalists and activists, facilitated in formation of a new populace for politics and in communicating to it new notions regarding national identity as well as partisan identity. Almost instantaneously, however, the emergence of an unusual sort of reporting mystified this prospect. Incited by conflicting plans for the new republic’s future, rival groups surfaced in George Washington’s government and Congress; during the mid-1790s, each group had created opinionated newspapers defending its stance.
Wealthy colonial families, mostly reacted writing angry letters or threatening anonymous letters to the British. Colonist is insulting their majesty. Families saying the Stamp Act was unfair and unconstitutional. People who were protesting made a new secret organization the Sons of Liberty. New secret organizations often turned violent and massacres became involved.
In “ The Fall and Rise of Partisan Journalism” by James L. Baughman, the author argues that a person does not have to have intellectual capabilities or higher education to realize that the American newspapers, especially those in the 19th century have been partisan in their reporting. This implies that the main purpose of the editorials in these newspapers were to compel people to share their views, recruit a following as well as ensure that those that read them stuck around. Therefore, these newspapers exercised the inherent power of the press to create situations that would retain readership rather than to offer eloquently and factual articles, for instance, such newspapers would not report news that would flatter the opposition. The reason for this partisanship is attributed to economics as it has been proven that the newspapers engaged in business with parties, the government or the Congress amongst other bodies that greatly subsidized their operations.
A. Explain the reasons for English Colonization by doing the Following: A1. Discuss the political motivations for English Imperialism. The main political motivation for English Imperialism was due to the rivalries with its European Counterparts. Initially, European countries were looking for a water passage to China so they would be able to trade for their goods. Spain, who lead the charge, landed in Central and South America, captured gold and silver.
Later on the colonists started to protest against paying taxes on paper products. The tax collectors were threatened and were almost forced to quit their jobs. The colonists that protested burned the stamps on the streets to show their aggression toward the tax collectors. Overall the colonists were not very happy with this “new
The main similarity between the Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress, and the Declaration of Independence, was that both documents were attempts by the colonies to better their way of life. Both of these documents were written by an aggrieved people, a people that felt Britain, the King and Parliament had treated them unfairly. The primary difference in the documents were that in the Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress the colonialists still felt very much a part of Great Britain, and they had a right to speak of their grievances to the king. The colonists were making an effort in a respectful, acknowledgement of His Majesty’s rule over the colonies, and humble manner to request His Majesty to see, understand, and act in the manner which
Ironically this document was not sent directly to the British Government, and was instead only distributed across the American colonies. In this way the document functioned as a rallying point about which large numbers of the colonists flocked. This purpose is reflected within the document itself; it was written in (for the period) simple language that would be easier for an average literate individual to understand. Its straight-forward approach to diction also made it easier for messengers to read aloud to the illiterate masses. Although we now see this declaration as a founding document of our nation, at the time it was written it was tantamount to treason.