What is the Stamp Act in simple terms?

The act required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. It was a direct tax imposed by the British government without the approval of the colonial legislatures and was payable in hard-to-obtain British sterling, rather than colonial currency.

What are 3 facts about Stamp Act?

Interesting Facts About the Stamp Act The taxes for the Stamp Act had to be paid for with British money. They would not take colonial paper money. John Adams, future president of the United States, wrote a series of resolutions protesting the tax. The French and Indian War was called the Seven Years War in England.

How did colonists react to 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.

What did colonists do to protest the Stamp Act?

That summer, Massachusetts called for a meeting of all the colonies – a Stamp Act Congress – to be held in New York in October 1765. Committees of Correspondence were also formed in the colonies to protest the Act.

Why is the Stamp Act important?

The new tax required all legal documents including commercial contracts, newspapers, wills, marriage licenses, diplomas, pamphlets, and playing cards in the American colonies to carry a tax stamp. The Stamp Act was the first direct tax used by the British government to collect revenues from the colonies.

How did the Stamp Act end?

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 in March 1766.

What did the Sons of Liberty do to protest the Stamp Act?

The first major action of the Sons of Liberty was to protest the Stamp Act. They took direct action by harassing the stamp tax distributors who worked for the British government. The distributors became so scared of the Sons of Liberty that many of them quit their jobs.