JUNIOR CYCLE HISTORY 4. No Taxation without Representation!
The British introduced the Stamp Act (1765), requiring all legal documents, wills, newspapers, certificates and playing cards to have a government stamp – which had to be paid for – and the Quartering Act (1765), which imposed taxes to cover the cost of soldiers in the colonies.
The colonists were furious. They did not want to pay more taxes and they especially resented taxes being forced upon them by a parliament in London in which they had no representatives. Opposition groups used the slogan ‘No Taxation without Representation’. There were widespread protests and violence against the Stamp Act in particular. ‘Stamp men’ were beaten up and ‘tarred and feathered’. The act was withdrawn in 1766.
Groups like the Sons of Liberty in Boston attacked British officials, organised boycotts of British goods coming into America and published revolutionary pamphlets and posters demanding changes. These groups advocated (argued) for Americans to govern themselves.
Opposition to the Stamp Act. The poster reads: ‘England’s Folly is America’s Ruin’.
CHECKPOINT!
1. What was the Enlightenment? 2. How and why did the British try to limit American trade? 3. What impact did the Seven Years’ War have on the colonies in America? 4. What was the Stamp Act and how did Americans react to it? 5. Which of the causes of the American Revolution do you think was the most important? Why?
. I understand the causes of the American Revolution. TIME TO GO BACK I CAN MOVE FORWARD
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12 Revolutions Option One: The American Revolution
