Blog #4 Stamp Act

Stamp Act Project

Why did the British believe it was necessary to tax the colonists?

They realized that they were still "under their control" and they did not want to let them off easily. The British used this as a way to keep the new world in check and maintain control over the general wealth and prosperity. The tax came from the monarchy as a reminder that Great Britain was still their mother country and they still had to pay their dues. They found it excessive to be taxed on every piece of paper they needed, in cases such as marriage invitations they had to pay outrageous and “unjust” tax on a very simple product. They believed that Great Britain should not have such control over their prosperity. The colonists actually began to protest this act before it was even officially put into effect. These protests began as positions and refusal to pay the tax but eventually caused property damage.

What was the Stamp Act and what was taxed?

It is “an act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America”. In other words it was an act created by Great Britain to put a tax on any form of “paper” whether it be parchment or animal skin, if it is written on, copied or used in books, the tax was placed per sheet of paper. The papers had to be stamped and them the tax was collected in America and sent to Great Britain.

Franklin said external tax is a duty laid on commodities imported which is added to the first cost. People usually like external taxes because if they do not like it they can choose not to pay it. However an internal tax is forced from the people without their consent, if not laid by their own representatives. It is difficult to find a way to use internal taxes without creating unrest in the people being taxed. He believes that parliament would continue this Stamp act even though Franklin thought that Americans would be much happier with parliament if the Stamp Act was repealed.

What is this source?

Source: National Humanities Center

PUBLIC PROTESTS AGAINST THE STAMP ACT: NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina Gazette, 20 November 1765

Saturday 19th- Describes a meeting of people who hung an Effigy by the neck and then later was consumed by the flames for being in support of the Stamp Act. After they gathered men together and forced them to drink to Liberty, Property and No stamp duty. Thursday 31st- The townspeople had an Effigy of Liberty who was put in a coffin and was set to be buried but they first checked for a pulse, finding on they also set him on the bonfire.Saturday 16th- They approached a distributor of stamps and forced I'm into resigning from his position and gathered him into a chair and marched around the courthouse cheering. They all paraded with LIBERTY stitched into their hats and served the man the best liquors they had. The average towns person was dealing with paying a tax for each and every single piece of parchment that they needed, for any occasion. That put new unexpected money burden on the commoners, which made many turn to violent protests to show their displeasure with the Stamp Act.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Read page 10 (primary source)

Who is the author of this source and who do you think his intended audience is?

Peter Oliver was the author of this source and from what I gathered from this source, he is writing to the rebels and anyone who is in protest of the stamp act. The author speaks of the betrayal of his brother and all that he has lost through that traumatic experience. Because of those experiences he has hard feelings toward the British parliament and resents the tax, and supports those who go against it. He talks about the mob that broke into the Office of the Register of the Admiralty. They broke in and smuggled things. The author was written in protest of the Stamp act.

Read pages 13 & 14 (primary source)

I think that the targeted audience the colonial assemblies are going for  are those who have been negatively affected by the stamp act. They want their boycotts to target those who are doing the taxing, they want to make the Stamp taxes to be aware of the effects of the tax on the townspeople. The people of Pennsylvania are having trouble with it and the representatives of the  town are complaining that the Stamp act is causing general unhappiness.

Read page 16

Even in today’s world, being so far in the future from this event, we can conclude that this source effected the past as a primary source. Those effects that it had on history make it appear to be a secondary source to us. This source was written during the time period and tells of the happenings of society but also explains the reactions people felt during the time. It is still something regarding history but written in that time so to them it was not the first account of something happening but to us it was a historical document written during the time period the event took place.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

17.

These articles included primary and secondary sources, which I found to be really interesting, I knew what a primary source was but I did not think so much about it being written like the language the people would be speaking in at the time of the newspaper airing. I found that new perspective to be quite enlightening into the thoughts of the people experiencing this time in history. I feel that knowing these accounts of protest and unrest brings to light a whole new perspective on the issue. I was aware that the Stamp act was something that was generally disliked and something that caused distrust between the colonies and British government, however I now understand that this affected families and left scars of betrayal on people.