Question

25 points HELP

Select all that apply.

The Stamp Act:

was passed by Parliament in 1776
caused the Boston Massacre
was the first direct tax levied by England on the colonists
sparked protest in the colonies

Answer 1

The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax levied directly on American colonists by the British government. The act, which imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Years’ War (1756-63) and looking to its North American colonies as a revenue source. Arguing that only their own representative assemblies could tax them, the colonists insisted that the act was unconstitutional, and they resorted to mob violence to intimidate stamp collectors into resigning. Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766, but issued a Declaratory Act at the same time to reaffirm its authority to pass any colonial legislation it saw fit. The issues of taxation and representation raised by the Stamp Act strained relations with the colonies to the point that, 10 years later, the colonists rose in armed rebellion against the British.

Answer 2

The correct answers are The Stamp Act was the first direct tax levied by England on the colonists and it sparked protest in the colonies. The Stamp Act was an act passed by the British Parliament in 1765. The purpose of this act was to raise money to pay for the debt of the French and Indian War and to defend the colonies. This measure constituted the first direct tax imposed on the colonies. Consequently, the American colonies reacted to this measure invocating the principle of ‘no taxation without representation’ as they believed that the mother country could not tax them without their own consent. This measure’s effect was popular resentment among the colonists, who began to protest against the measures taken by Britain. In fact, the Stamp Act Congress was held that same year to demand the repeal of the Stamp Act. Eventually, Britain repealed the Stamp Act in 1766.