Final answer:
The British colony sold stamps under the Stamp Act as a means to tax colonists for printed materials, to offset the costs of the British Empire. This taxation without representation was met with significant protest, leading to its repeal.
Step-by-step explanation:
The British colony sold stamps as part of the Stamp Act, which was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament on the colonists in 1765. This Act required colonists to pay a tax on almost every piece of printed paper they used, such as newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards.
The tax was to help defray the costs of maintaining the British Empire and the soldiers stationed in North America after the French and Indian War. However, the Stamp Act was met with significant resistance because it raised constitutional issues and symbolized an assertion of British control without colonial representation in Parliament – hence the now-famous slogan "no taxation without representation."
Eventually, due to the widespread protest and economic boycotts by the colonists, the Stamp Act was repealed.