What happened after the repeal of the Stamp Act?
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The Stamp Act was nullified before it went into effect and was repealed by parliament on March 18, 1766 under the Marquis of Rockingham. Show In the summer of 1765 King George III fired George Grenville and replaced him with Charles Watson-Wentworth, Marquis of Rockingham. For the new Prime Minister the only alternative to repealing the tax was a long and costly civil war with the American colonies. Britain, as the world greatest power, could not give up on the decision to uphold the tax and give in to mobs and activist in its colonies. Under those circumstances the Marquis of Rockingham had to find a face saving excuse to repeal the tax. The King was not in favor of a repeal but he wanted a modification that would keep the tax only on dice and playing cards, however more difficult to enforce. Rockingham threatened to resign and the king conceded to repeal the Stamp Act entirely. Three pieces of legislation made the repeal of the Stamp Act possible putting an end to the crisis. The first one was interpreted as a face saving motion. It was theDeclaratory Act which affirmed that Parliament had the “full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America…in all cases whatsoever”. The text did not mentioned “taxes” and Rockingham resisted pressure to include “taxes” along with “laws and statutes” in the document. The omission of the word “taxes” affirmed the position of the colonist and drew a clear distinction between British legislation (which they could) and taxation (which they could not). The second one was an economic legislation which labeled the Stamp Act as detrimental to commercial interest of Britain. The boycott to British goods had been felt in many industries across the Atlantic as well as in the trade of West Indies natural resources. The American colonies had resorted to smuggling needed goods from French and Spanish traders. The third was the Revenue Act which reduced the duty on molasses from three pence to one penny per gallon on all molasses imported from foreign or British territories. This duty generated more revenue than any other duty or tax in the colonies. Few protested this act as it was not seen as internal taxation but external taxation on trade. In summary, the repeal of the Stamp Act was successful because Britain realized the distinction between internal and external taxes. Parliament had tried to extend its authority over the colonies’ internal affairs and failed but continued to collect duties in its ports to regulate trade and as revenue. In other words, external taxes did not affect the principle of “no taxation without representation”. Back to Stamp Act History HomepageOn March 18, 1766, exactly 250 years ago, after four months of widespread protest in America, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, a taxation measure enacted to raise revenues for a standing British army in America. What better way to commemorate this occasion than with a United States Postal Service Forever stamp? The Stamp Act was passed on March 22, 1765, leading to an uproar in the colonies over an issue that was to be a major cause of the Revolution: Taxation without representation. Enacted in November 1765, the controversial act forced colonists to buy a British stamp for every official document they obtained. Paper materials requiring the stamp included newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, licenses, mortgages, contracts, and bills of sale. A stamp would be embossed on these papers to indicate payment. The stamp itself displayed an image of a Tudor rose framed by the word “America” and the French phrase Honi soit qui mal y pense – “Shame to him who thinks evil of it.” The colonists, who had convened the Stamp Act Congress in October 1765 to vocalize their opposition to the impending enactment, greeted the arrival of the stamps with outrage and violence. Most Americans called for a boycott of British goods, and some organized attacks on the customhouses and homes of tax collectors. After months of protest, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British House of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766. However, the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts, asserting that the British government had free and total legislative power over the colonies. The new U.S. stamp depicts a crowd gathered around a “liberty tree” to celebrate the repeal of the Stamp Act. The selvage area displays a proof print of a one-penny revenue stamp and includes a famous slogan from the era: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” The stamp will be dedicated between May 28 and June 4 at the World Stamp Show to be held in New York at the Jacob Javits Center, and will be available thereafter in post offices. Source: This Day in History and USPS. CONTRIBUTORRELATED ARTICLES
What happened when the Stamp Act was repealed?Repeal of the Stamp Act.
The act was repealed, and the colonies abandoned their ban on imported British goods.
What happened after Britain repealed the Stamp Act?After months of protest, and an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British House of Commons, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in March 1766. However, the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts, asserting that the British government had free and total legislative power over the colonies.
What was the effect after the Stamp Act?The American colonists were angered by the Stamp Act and quickly acted to oppose it. Because of the colonies' sheer distance from London, the epicenter of British politics, a direct appeal to Parliament was almost impossible. Instead, the colonists made clear their opposition by simply refusing to pay the tax.
Why was the repeal of the Stamp Act important?In summary, the repeal of the Stamp Act was successful because Britain realized the distinction between internal and external taxes. Parliament had tried to extend its authority over the colonies' internal affairs and failed but continued to collect duties in its ports to regulate trade and as revenue.
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