Two Laws That Pissed Off Colonists

The Stamp Act passed in March of 1765 was a real game changer for the relationship between Britain and the Colonies. In my opinion, this new law was simply so Britain could remain in power of the Colonies. This act was to have settlers be forced to pay to maintain presence of Britain’s troops in North America after the seven year war.

This Stamp Act required contracts and agreements, both major and minor, to be drawn on paper produced in London bearing an embossed revenue stamp verifying that one (or both) of the parties mentioned in the contract had paid a duty to Britain, thus making it a legally binding document for any legal proceedings. Any document not bearing this stamp would not be admissible in a legal dispute in a court of law, which was controlled by the British. This stamp was also required on newspapers, playing cards, and dice and had to be paid in British currency, not the new Colonial currency.

The Colonists ultimately refused this, with their main argument being that the Americans had no need for any protection from any foreign governments. At that time, the only real threat was the Native Americans, and they had always been able to protect themselves from them without the troops from Britain. They were also not represented in Parliament, as all Englishmen had the right to, which is where the famous American quote “No taxation without representation” is commonly known from.

Subsequently, The Stamp Act was repealed on March 18, 1776 by British Parliament, after about a year of radical groups such as The Sons of Liberty harassed tax collectors and publicly notified everyone who was not partaking in the boycotts by publishing their names. This was the beginning of the end of the unwanted British control in the American Colonies.

The Townshend Act was introduced into the English Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend in 1767. This was the next big attempt to tax the colonists for the benefit of Britain, which once...