Laws are generally formed with a specific intent behind them. When drafted, people in the government are motivated to help the people as best as they can, or to express authority over the people. In the mid-1700s, the British government thought the same thing. They imposed various laws, such as the Sugar Act, commonly known as the American Revenue Act, to generate revenue. New England colonists were openly opposed to this act because they were worried that the tax on foreign molasses would infringe on the northern rum industry. This act is what initiated colonial rebellion against British Parliament. Due to the lack of revenue generated from the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act was implemented into law, which led to the Declaratory Act, and later
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This required that all documents, including newspapers and playing cards to contain a government-issued stamp, which was taxed. Many colonists had a hard time finding justification to oppose the Stamp Act, due to the fact that it was in the government’s range of duties, and because it was the first internal tax at that time. However, soon after the act was implemented, colonial outrage started occurring. Member of Virginia’s House of Burgesses Patrick Henry proposed legislation stating, “Virginians could disobey any law to which their own legislature had not agreed” (Goldberg, ed., The American Journey, 125). Although the legislation didn’t pass, it represented an example of colonial outrage to what many thought was an unconstitutional …show more content…
In order to do so, he felt he needed to repeal the Stamp Act. He received support on this from British merchants and manufacturers, however, getting Parliament and the king to agree was much more difficult. They didn’t want to be viewed as weak for simply giving into the colonists’ mob activities. Eventually Rockingham came up with a solution that included three parts. The first was that the Stamp Act would be repealed “only because it had damaged British commercial interests” (Goldberg, ed., The American Journey, 127). Second, the Declaratory Act was passed, and the third part was Parliament passing the Revenue Act of 1766, which reduced the tax on molasses. Parliament was happy because the calmed down the colonists, and the colonists rejoiced because they took the repeal as affirmation of the claim that the Stamp Act was
This required that all documents, including newspapers and playing cards to contain a government-issued stamp, which was taxed. Many colonists had a hard time finding justification to oppose the Stamp Act, due to the fact that it was in the government’s range of duties, and because it was the first internal tax at that time. However, soon after the act was implemented, colonial outrage started occurring. Member of Virginia’s House of Burgesses Patrick Henry proposed legislation stating, “Virginians could disobey any law to which their own legislature had not agreed” (Goldberg, ed., The American Journey, 125). Although the legislation didn’t pass, it represented an example of colonial outrage to what many thought was an unconstitutional …show more content…
In order to do so, he felt he needed to repeal the Stamp Act. He received support on this from British merchants and manufacturers, however, getting Parliament and the king to agree was much more difficult. They didn’t want to be viewed as weak for simply giving into the colonists’ mob activities. Eventually Rockingham came up with a solution that included three parts. The first was that the Stamp Act would be repealed “only because it had damaged British commercial interests” (Goldberg, ed., The American Journey, 127). Second, the Declaratory Act was passed, and the third part was Parliament passing the Revenue Act of 1766, which reduced the tax on molasses. Parliament was happy because the calmed down the colonists, and the colonists rejoiced because they took the repeal as affirmation of the claim that the Stamp Act was