- This is the stamp required on all paper bought by the colonists.
In the 18th century, during the ‘60s and ‘70s, colonial America was just recovering from the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763. Though the British and the colonists won the war, they crossed the Appalachian Mountains, and found more Native residents that they had to fight off. In order for Britain to protect the colonists from Native attacks, Britain had to find excess money that they could spend. The idea of taxing colonists was started by George Grenville of Parliament, via the Sugar Act. Due to this act, the slogan “Taxation without Representation” was adopted by the colonists in order to show that they deserve to have a say in whether or not they would be taxed, and on what. After the Sugar Act was ruined by the colonists, Grenville was forced to come up with a new idea- the Stamp Act (click here for the written law). This act was passed in March 1765, but rebels and rebel groups (within and outside of Parliament) forced it down before it even got up. George Grenville thought it was the fairest and easiest way to tax the colonists, but they thought that it was too direct. Rather than the taxation of goods and trading outside of America, this was taxing their everyday life. The Sons of Liberty had a big role in this. Also, Patrick Henry and William Pitt of Parliament stayed on the colonist’s side, and argued until the last days of the Stamp Act with them. These people were very brave, due to the scary consequences facing them if caught- they would be tried in the much hated Vice-Admiralty Courts. Even so, these people, and the many actions taken by normal colonists under their influence, started to change the way Parliament was thinking.
- The judges in Vice Admiralty courts were mainly appointed by King George III.
Many colonists refrained from going against the Stamp Act due to the consequences they knew would be coming. If caught, rebels would be tried in the abhorred Vice Admiralty Courts. The law said that "...offenses committed against any... act or acts of Parliament... shall and may be prosecuted, sued for, and recovered, in any.. court of admiralty, in the respective colony or plantation where the offense shall be committed, or in any court of vice admiralty appointed or to be appointed, and which shall have jurisdiction within such colony, plantation, or place...” (This quote is taken straight from the Stamp Act, a primary source. I chose this because it explains how people who go against the Stamp Act are forced to go to these courts.) There were only 11 of these in total, throughout all 13 colonies. This was because they were much more important than the normal Common Law Courts. They were mainly dedicated to punishing colonists for disobeying the Stamp Act, and any other acts or laws in action at the time. In these courts, there was no jury: the single judge had all the power. This means that the verdict of this judge meant everything.. there was no “majority rules”here.The judges were mainly appointed by King George III himself, or one of his higher ranked men. Failure to appear at court on the designated day at the designated time resulted in a guilty verdict from the judge. Obviously, these courts were very much avoided, yet there were still people who took the chance to go against them.
Even though most colonists in America were against the Stamp Act, only a few were brave enough to actually stand up to the British and Parliament. The main group of colonists that rebelled against the British was the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty started with nine shopkeepers and artisans in 1765, but soon it occupied all 13 colonies. The Sons of Liberty used violence to scare the tax collectors and anyone else associated with the Stamp Act. They threatened the tax collectors and stamp sellers’ lives. They would tell them that “...[their] house would be destroyed and [their] life in continual danger...” if they did not quit their job. (This quote is from our school’s history textbook, Call to Freedom, a secondary source. I included it because it further explains the intensity of the Sons of Liberty’s threats.) Even after the Stamp Act was passed and put into action, the Sons of Liberty (who now consisted of many newspaper and magazine publishers) continued to publish on paper that did not have the required stamp on it. Click here to see a list of the Sons of Liberty in alphabetical order. Another rebel that was not part of the Sons of Liberty, but rather part of the House of Burgesses, was Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry was a great lawyer and speaker. He fought for the colonists and helped them in their “battle” with Britain against the Stamp Act. He argued that the Stamp Act violated the rights of the colonists due to the fact that it was personal and affected their everyday lives. He is very famous for his speech that started with many people screaming “Treason! Treason!” and him arguing that “... if this be treason, make the most of it!” (This quote is from Patrick Henry in his introduction of the Resolves Speech. I chose it because it shows how strongly he felt about his side.) Another great figure in the fight against the Stamp Act was William Pitt of Parliament itself. He was not only part of Parliament, but luckily for the colonists, he had some influence over it too. He was obviously on the colonists’ side, and argued against the rest of Parliament. He “... rejoices that America has resisted...” (This quote is from Patrick Henry of Parliament. I chose it because it shows how he is on the colonist’s side.) Pitt is mostly famous for his very strong speech about the Stamp Act, which shaped Parliaments way of thinking towards the Stamp Act. You can see his speech here. This speech is important because it reveals how William Pitt thought, and essentially how every colonist in America thought at that time.
- This is a cartoon of a fake funeral for the Stamp Act. They are showing George Grenville holding a child's coffin, showing how the Stamp Act "died" very young.
The Stamp Act was supposedly a fair and easy way to tax the colonists in order to get the money to protect them from Native attacks, but as the colonists proved, it actually wasn't. They correctly believed that it was not fair due to the fact that it taxed their everyday lives, and affected everything they bought. They believed that they should be taxed on something such as trade or goods that doesn't affect them at home in America, but rather somewhere out in the ocean on a ship. Due to these beliefs, the colonists began to rebel against the Stamp Act in threatening ways and in sophisticated courtrooms, but soon enough they got message out to Parliament. Though most colonists believed that this was a wrongdoing, they had too much fear of the Vice Admiralty courts to actually stand up and speak their view. Even so, many others felt too strongly about it to just sit back, do they got to work trying to tell Parliament. The Sons of Liberty had a big role in telling the authorities that they were not going to abide by the law. Patrick Henry's plan was to explain why this act was wrong, and how it invaded the colonists' privacy. William Pitt stressed the fact that Parliament should repeal the act due to the many reasons brought up by colonists. Put together with many others involved with the rebellion, the Vice Admiralty courts were too overwhelmed to keep up with the process of penalizing all the protestors. After a while of all this hard work, Parliament finally changed its mind and decided to repeal the Stamp Act. For more information about William Pitt's speech and the beliefs of the colonists, read this (this is the same as the link to his speech above, so if you already read it, don't bother).
Do the consequences outweigh rebellion against the Stamp Act itself?
Bibliography
"Colonial Williamsburg." William Pitt's Defense of the Colonies : The Official History Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"From Our Cabinet: Sons of Liberty." From Our Cabinet: Sons of Liberty. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
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"Repeal of the Stamp Act Cartoon." History Wiz. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"The Sons of Liberty." The Sons of Liberty. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"The Stamp Act, March 22, 1765." The Stamp Act, March 22, 1765. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"The Stamp Act." The Stamp Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
Stuckey, Sterling, and Linda Kerrigan Salvucci. Call to Freedom. N.p.: Holt Rinehart Winston, n.d. Print.
"Today in History." : May 29. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"The Vice-Admiralty Courts." The Vice-Admiralty Courts. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"William Pitt's Speech on the Stamp Act January 14 1766." N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2012.
