Section two: Enforcing the Colonial Relationship, 1763–1774
The Stamp Act
Assess the significance of the Stamp Act
CFJ:
→ Scope
→ Impact on British colonial relationship
→ Nature of opposition generated - violent vs peaceful; where located geographically; how united
the response amongst different colonies
→ Who is engaging in opposition (colonial elite vs ‘ordinary’ Americans).
→ Ideological impact of event
→ British reaction to the event
→ Was it a turning point? Point of no return
Intro:
Popular Protest ● Led to a popular protest movement:
→ Growth of Mob action led by sons of liberty in Mass, Sons are cross-
class
e.g. Emergence of the Daughters of Liberty, Mob action focused in
Massachusetts spread to New York and Connecticut, Burnt down Andrew
Oliver’s house.
→ Massachusetts became a hotbed of opposition during the revolution.
→ Protest is able to resonate at a popular level due to the wide impact
of tax that affects many directly.
Eval:
- Mob action not approved of by all (e.g. moderates such as John Dickinson
- critical of mob action in Letters from a Penn farmer, 1767-68.
- Sons of Liberty didn’t resonate much outside the northern colonies. An
urban movement when townspeople represent only 5% of the American
population.
Unity ● Led to a greater colonial unity:
, → Stamp Act congress:
- Meets in October 1765 to pass resolutions and petitions denouncing
British parliament's right to tax colonies
- Congress represents an important symbol of wider American organisation
attended and endorsed by 9 colonies.
Eval:
- Although improvement to past endeavours was not wholescale.
- Stamp Act Congress amended by 9 not all 13 colonies, and the petitions
that resulted from it condemning ‘no taxation without representation' could
be easily ignored by the British.
- Virginia resolves too radical.
- Colonial unity not completely achieved; four colonies not represented and
27 representatives in attendance are high-status, leading colonists in
society - undermining popular nature of protest.
Ideological ● Led to development of colonists’ ideological opposition to the British:
opposition e.g. Lockean Ideology became the prevalent basis of opposition, continuation of
James Otis’ response to the Sugar Act. No taxation without representation.
Forms basis of all future responses to British Provocations.
Eval:
- Ideological opposition easily ignored by the British
- Ideological opposition is moderate in nature. E.g. condemning ‘no taxation
without representation’ not parliamentary sovereignty.
● Crisis results in important shifts in local power :
→ Factions in support of the Stamp act lose power/ assembly control in
key states. More assertive/radically ideological factions well placed to
play decisive roles later on.
E.g. Otis/Adams factions in Massachusetts take over the colonial assembly.
British U-Turn ● British reaction gave confidence to early colonial opposition due to the
success achieved:
→ Stamp Act’s abolishment sends a message to colonists that violent
opposition can prove successful.
→ Stamp Act was divisive in the British government and society, the
British government had no choice but to repeal due to widespread
resignation of the stamp collectors.
Eval:
- Repeal of the Stamp Act also accompanied by the Declaratory Act in
1776. Confirmed Parliament's ultimate right.
The Stamp Act
Assess the significance of the Stamp Act
CFJ:
→ Scope
→ Impact on British colonial relationship
→ Nature of opposition generated - violent vs peaceful; where located geographically; how united
the response amongst different colonies
→ Who is engaging in opposition (colonial elite vs ‘ordinary’ Americans).
→ Ideological impact of event
→ British reaction to the event
→ Was it a turning point? Point of no return
Intro:
Popular Protest ● Led to a popular protest movement:
→ Growth of Mob action led by sons of liberty in Mass, Sons are cross-
class
e.g. Emergence of the Daughters of Liberty, Mob action focused in
Massachusetts spread to New York and Connecticut, Burnt down Andrew
Oliver’s house.
→ Massachusetts became a hotbed of opposition during the revolution.
→ Protest is able to resonate at a popular level due to the wide impact
of tax that affects many directly.
Eval:
- Mob action not approved of by all (e.g. moderates such as John Dickinson
- critical of mob action in Letters from a Penn farmer, 1767-68.
- Sons of Liberty didn’t resonate much outside the northern colonies. An
urban movement when townspeople represent only 5% of the American
population.
Unity ● Led to a greater colonial unity:
, → Stamp Act congress:
- Meets in October 1765 to pass resolutions and petitions denouncing
British parliament's right to tax colonies
- Congress represents an important symbol of wider American organisation
attended and endorsed by 9 colonies.
Eval:
- Although improvement to past endeavours was not wholescale.
- Stamp Act Congress amended by 9 not all 13 colonies, and the petitions
that resulted from it condemning ‘no taxation without representation' could
be easily ignored by the British.
- Virginia resolves too radical.
- Colonial unity not completely achieved; four colonies not represented and
27 representatives in attendance are high-status, leading colonists in
society - undermining popular nature of protest.
Ideological ● Led to development of colonists’ ideological opposition to the British:
opposition e.g. Lockean Ideology became the prevalent basis of opposition, continuation of
James Otis’ response to the Sugar Act. No taxation without representation.
Forms basis of all future responses to British Provocations.
Eval:
- Ideological opposition easily ignored by the British
- Ideological opposition is moderate in nature. E.g. condemning ‘no taxation
without representation’ not parliamentary sovereignty.
● Crisis results in important shifts in local power :
→ Factions in support of the Stamp act lose power/ assembly control in
key states. More assertive/radically ideological factions well placed to
play decisive roles later on.
E.g. Otis/Adams factions in Massachusetts take over the colonial assembly.
British U-Turn ● British reaction gave confidence to early colonial opposition due to the
success achieved:
→ Stamp Act’s abolishment sends a message to colonists that violent
opposition can prove successful.
→ Stamp Act was divisive in the British government and society, the
British government had no choice but to repeal due to widespread
resignation of the stamp collectors.
Eval:
- Repeal of the Stamp Act also accompanied by the Declaratory Act in
1776. Confirmed Parliament's ultimate right.
