March 18, 1766: British Parliament repeals the Stamp Act

With their victory in the Seven Years' War, Great Britain sought to recoup the debt accumulated from the war. Beginning in 1765, the British Parliament imposed a variety of taxes on their North American colonies (where the majority of the fighting took place). One of these taxes was the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act required that materials such as legal documents, postage, and even playing cards have a stamp on them indicating that payment had been made. The new tax effected many aspects of colonial life. Protest sprang up almost overnight.

Throughout 1765, the colonies erupted in protests from Georgia to Massachusetts. With the passage of the Sugar Act in 1764, the colonies established a system of communication in order to more readily protest these deplorable acts of Parliament. They created a Committee of Correspondence, in which letters, and instructions for protesting could be communicated throughout the colonies. Samuel Adams, a Massachusetts contributor to the Committee, began to stage street protests against the Stamp Act. The protests spread throughout the 13 colonies. In October in New York, the Stamp Act Congress was formed to create a resolution of repeal to be sent to the Parliament. Parliament debated the draft throughout the winter. In February of 1766, they voted to repeal the act in the wake of mounting pressure. The King gave his consent on March 18.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

March 25, 1306: Robert the Bruce is crowned King of Scots

Image
Robert the Bruce was born in Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland on June 7, 1274. He came from a long line of claimants to the Scottish throne, being a descendant of King David I. During his childhood, he was educated in history, civics and languages. He learned a variety of local dialects, French and Latin. Robert's early life was typical of a 13th century European noble. However his young life would soon be thrown upside down with the arrival of the English in Scotland. In 1286, King Alexander III died, his crown passed to a child named Margaret, the Maid of Norway. Due to Margaret's youth, the Scottish nobles assigned Guardians of Scotland to serve as regents until she would come of age. Then in 1290, Margaret died. This created a crisis between the five remaining claimants to the throne: John Balliol, John Hastings, Floris V, Count of Holland, and Robert. The Guardians feared a civil war, so they asked Edward I, King of England to mediate the situation. The King deci...
Read more

April 28, 1788: Maryland becomes the seventh state after it ratifies the United States Constitution

Image
Before European settlement, Maryland was home to the Iroquois and Algonquin peoples. During the 16 th century, Italian explorer Giovanni de Verrazano explored the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay; and John Smith further explored it in 1608. In 1632, George Calvert, 1 st Baron Baltimore, applied to King Charles I for a royal charter for the area surrounding Chesapeake Bay. When Calvert died, his son, Cecilius Calvert, 2 nd Baron Baltimore, was granted the charter in his stead. The colony was named in honor of King Charles’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. Upon its establishment, the colony of Maryland was predominantly Catholic, due to the shared religion of the Queen and Calvert’s. The new colonists landed at St. Clements’s Island on March 25, 1634. St. Mary’s City was established as the colony’s capital, and would remain such until 1695. In 1649, the colonial legislature passed the Maryland Tolerance Act, which fostered the free exercise of religion throughout the colony. However, whe...
Read more

May 2, 1863: Stonewall Jackson is wounded by friendly fire while returning to camp after reconnoitering during the Battle of Chancellorsville

Image
Throughout 1863, Robert E. Lee fought back against the Union advance toward Richmond. The Peninsula Campaign, was Union General George B. McClellan’s attempt to seize the Confederate capital of Richmond. Confederate President Jefferson Davis promoted his military advisor, Robert E. Lee to take command of the army and push back McClellan. Lee was able to push back McClellan at the Battle of Seven Pines; however, the battle would prove not only to be a watershed moment for Lee but also for another of his generals. During the battle, troops under the command of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson led the charge against the Union soldiers. Jackson cut a very interesting figure. He was an uncompromising hypochondriac. He would suck lemons in the heat of battle, and keep one arm lifted because he felt it kept “the blood balanced.” However even with all of quirks, he was a brilliant tactician, with an utter disregard for the lives of his soldiers. But his soldiers loved him because he brought them...
Read more