Parliamentary Act. Reign of George III

An Act to repeal an Act made in the last Session of Parliament, intituled, An Act for granting and applying certain Stamp Duties, and other Duties, in the British Colonies and Plantations in America, towards further defraying the Expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same [drop title]. London: Printed by Mark Baskett and the Assigns of Robert Baskett, 1766

Folio (311 x 200 mm). Woodcut arms of Great Britain, woodcut factotum, text in black letter and roman type. Disb✃o🌟und.

Repeal of the Stamp Act. British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to help replenish their finances after the costly Seven Years’ War with France. Parliament had unconvincingly argued that part of the revenue from the Stamp Act would be used to keep several regiments of British so🐎ldiers in North America for the purpose of maintaining peace between Native Americans and the colonists.

The colonists, who had convened the Stamp Act Congress in October 1765 to vocalize their opposition to the impending enaꦗctment, greeted the arrival of the stamps with outrage and violence. Most Americans called for a boycott of British goods, and some organized attacks on the customhouses and homes of tax collectors. The amount of money the British spent trying to implement the tax far exceeded the revenue collected. After months of protest, an appeal by Benjamin Franklin before the British House of Commons, and at the urging of British merchants fearful of colonial reprisals, Parliament voted to repeal the Stamp Act in March 1766. However, the same day, Parliament passed the Declaratory Acts, asserting that the British government had free and total legislative power over the colonies.

REFERENCE

cf. Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions 2, p. 28; ESTC N56896