American Colonies Dbq

After the French & Indian War (or Seven Year’s War as it was known in Europe) had come to an end, the British government found itself largely in debt as a result of the cost that it spent to defend its North American colonies. But the cost of the war would not stop with the fighting; instead it would continue to grow even once the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763 because of the need to leave British troops in the colonies – not only for the colonists protection but also because it was impossible for Great Britain to reduce its army to the size it had been before the war. All of these were amassing to a large cost that Britain was unable to pay, at least by itself. The idea was sparked from within the British government that the colonies should …show more content…
The act - which required that most of the printed materials that were available in the colonies be produced on paper that had been specifically stamped in Britain and then taxed accordingly in the colonies – was already in place in Britain as the sort of tax that was mindlessly paid; the same sort of acceptance that would not be found in the colonies where it was to be applied. Several of the colonies passed resolutions denouncing the act and its purposes, all the while the phrase ‘Taxation without Representation’ began to float around. The objections to the act were, for the most part, limited to written complaints and a general sense of unease; with the exception of Boston, Massachusetts. In August of 1765 – mere months before the act was to take effect – two large riots took place in Boston, targeting not just the Stamp Act, but the officials who were in charge to carrying out the act and enforcing it within the …show more content…
After the first riot attacking the Stamp Office and Oliver, directly and indirectly respectively, it was “Still approved of as a necessary declaration of their resolution not to submit to the Stamp Act”. The only thing that appeased the rioters – or the whole of Boston in general – was when, in the following days after the first riot, Oliver resigned his post as Stamp Officer and made a public declaration that “He would immediately apply for leave to resign, and would not act in the office…until he received further orders”. Conversely, after Hutchinson’s house was destroyed, at the next meeting the Council unanimously “Declared an utter detestation of the extraordinary and violent proceedings of a number of persons unknown, against some of the inhabitants of the town”. They also created a proclamation that would reward anyone who gave information about the members of the mob as warrants were being written and signed – although, these actions did little good since it was suspected that some participants in the mob were a part of the Council, and any attempts to arrest individuals were halted under the threat of more violence. And while Oliver announced that he would resign his post, as the mob had ‘encouraged’ him to do; Hutchinson responded to the rumors about his support of the Stamp Act by denying that he had spent any time “Aiding, assisting, or supporting, or in the least promoting or encouraging what is commonly called