Describe the Stamp Act and the colonists’ reaction to it.
https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/stamp-act
The Stamp Act was a law passed by the British Parliament in 1765, which required colonists in British North America to purchase special stamped paper for every legal document, license, newspaper, pamphlet, and even playing cards. The purpose of the act was to raise revenue from the colonies to help pay off British war debts and to assert British authority over the colonies.
The colonists' reaction to the Stamp Act was one of outrage and resistance. Many saw it as a direct violation of their rights as British subjects because it imposed taxes without their consent. They argued that only their own colonial assemblies had the power to tax them. The slogan "No Taxation Without Representation" became a rallying cry for the colonists.
A variety of strategies were used by the colonists to protest the Stamp Act. The most notable was the formation of the Sons of Liberty, a secret organization that organized rallies, protests, and boycotts of British goods. They used tactics such as tarring and feathering British tax collectors, public demonstrations, and destruction of stamped paper. The Stamp Act Congress was also convened in 1765, where representatives from nine colonies drafted a petition to the King and Parliament asserting their rights.
The colonists' strong resistance and widespread boycotts of British goods eventually led to the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. However, tensions continued to rise between the British government and the American colonies, eventually leading to the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States of America.