The Stamp Act of 1765 was passed at a time when the United States was a colony of the British Empire. The significance of the Act was not the provisions of the Act itself. The passing of the Act was indirectly instrumental in leading to events that led to the American War of Independence a decade later and the consequent liberation of the country from Great Britain. Benjamin Franklin, one of the most famous and colorful characters in the history of United States played a dual role with regard to the Stamp
Act. Initially, he supported the provisions of the Act and later played a role in its repeal a year later. “The Stamp Act of 1765 is so significant in this context that many see it as the spark that lit the touch paper leading to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War only ten years later in 1775, and ultimately to the recognition of American independence.” (Publications and Records: Britain, America and the 1765 Stamp Act, An Exhibition by the Parliamentary Archives).
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 (in Boston) and was one of the ten siblings of Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. He was born into a family of goldsmiths but was destined for greatness. “As diplomat, scientist, writer, printer and political philosopher, Benjamin Franklin was one of the truly dominant figures of the 18th century.” (Colonial America, Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790). The above sentence would give a idea about his multifaceted personality. He began his profession as an apprentice printer to his brother but moved away on his own. He did not have much formal education and was in fact a self-taught person.
Mr. Franklin was colonial deputy postmaster at the time of passing of the Stamp Act. Even though he shone in many fields Mr. Franklin is most noted for his works and research in the field of electricity. He was among the few persons instrumental in bringing about the American Independence and is considered as one of the founding fathers of the nation.
Great Britain was has the responsibility of protecting the colonists in America mainly against the native Indians and against the French troops who occupied several areas in the United States. Notable among the conflicts that were engaged by Britain during that time was the Seven Years War involving France, Spain and Austria. The war was actually fought on three fronts namely, Europe, India and America. The conflict in American soil was known as the French and Indian War. (Rickard J). Even though the war resulted in Britain having supremacy in America (over other colonizing countries), the effort had cost the exchequer a huge amount.
Fears of a huge national debt and even bankruptcy were felt by the British Government. Even though America at that time was a good source of income (through levies and taxes) for Britain, the British Parliament then decided to introduce the Stamp Act to bring in more funds to finance its troops engaged in protection its colonial subjects in America. This was compounded by the fact that British colonization was expanding deeper into America and fears of more conflicts especially with native Indians were possible. Hence the possibility or need for sending more troops existed which required additional funding.
The then British Prime Minister George Grenville urged the Chancellor of the Exchequer to present a bill in the Parliament to enable Britain to raise additional funds from America in the form of the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act (which has no relation to the postage stamp or the post office) required duties to be paid on documents, and official papers. They included deeds, agreements, wills, newspapers, pamphlets etc. (The Patriotic Resource).
The duty was extended to even dice and playing cards. Once the tax was paid, a stamp or seal would appear on the document indicating that the duty was paid. This was why the name Stamp Act was given to the statute. As expected there was little resistance from both House of Commons and House of Lords. The former House passed it with some minor amendments while the House of Lords passed it as such. The Act officially came into being on 22nd March 1765.
Understandably, the act was met with great resistance in America. Moreover, after many years of British rule, many people in America were in fact thinking of freedom or at least more autonomy for themselves. The Stamp Act was supposedly the first internal tax at that time in America. Till that time only customs or import duties were in force and hence the Stamp Act was thought to be an unwanted and additional burden on the people.
The slogan that became popular in America at that time was ‘no taxation without representation’. “In 1765 the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which placed a tax on newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets and broadsides, all kinds of legal documents, insurance policies, ship’s papers, licenses, dice and playing cards. This led to widespread protest in the American colonies, and to the slogan, “No taxation without representation!”” (Henry, p.17-18).
The initial resistance was against being taxed without having representation in the British parliament. But this soon changed for the need for greater autonomy. It also resulted in increasing cooperation between the many colonies in America at that time. A group called the ‘The True Sons of Liberty’ was also formed for resisting such moves by the British Government. They built up public resistance to the Act and even resorted to violence in some parts of the country. The situation got worse to such an extent that it caused great concern in the Britain also. Late in 1765 the king of England George III asked the British parliament to pass “’such sound and prudent Resolutions” so that order and relationships (between America and Britain) be restored.
Even before this incident the new British Prime Minister Charles Watson Wentworth, who initially was bent upon continuing with the Act soon gave way to an attitude of compromise. The British Parliament also discussed in length about the situation. Benjamin Franklin at this time, who had earlier supported the bill, gave evidence in the British Parliament as to why the Stamp Act should be abolished. In a sense this testimony was one of the instrumental events that led to its eventual abolition.
Mr. Franklin’s testimony lasted four hours and he answered nearly 170 questions from various members during this time. He argued that unless the Act was repealed (not even modified) a total alienation between the British colonies in America and the mother country Britain will take place. He added that this will also cause trade between the two places to fall which is economically detrimental to both especially Britain. Mr. Franklin then assured the parliament that repealing the bill will not be seen as a result to appease the rioters (against the bill) and that it will be taken in the right sense in America.
In other words, the repeal would be seen as a just and prudent move that is in line with respecting the rights of the colonists. The Prime Minister then proposed a bill which in effect would revoke the Stamp Act and eventually bring back order and peace in the colony. To his advantage, the move was supported by many businessmen and merchants on both sides. They too were of the opinion that the bill would hurt trade between the two countries and would result in a fall of profits for the business and a fall in revenue for Britain. So, finally the Bill to repeal the Stamp Act was presented in Parliament on the grounds that it should be abolished for commercial reasons. There was strong resistance in the House of Commons. This resistance was partly due to the stance taken by King George III who only wanted to make amendments to the Act.
But on March 4, 1766, the lower House passed the bill to repeal the Stamp Act by a majority of 250 votes in favor (and 122 against) of the move. The House of Lords also resisted the passing of the bill. But a lot of pressure was put on them by many British businessmen who had trade relations with America and the bill was passed in the upper house also. The repeal became a reality with the passing of the Stamp Act Repeal Act was assented by the king on 18th March 1766. But on the same day the British Parliament also introduced the Declaratory Act which gave authority for the British Government to pass taxes on British colonies in America in the future. (Related Information: The Declaratory Act).
Personal views
It should be remembered that at the time of passing of the Act, American colonies were under the protection of the British army against other colonizing countries and the American Indians. The army had even fought wars on American soil for this cause. In that sense, the passing of the Act was quite correct since it was an effort to raise money for protecting the Americans themselves and not the British. Moreover the tax was quite small and was not expected to raise much funds. But as a counter argument, it can be said that colonists did not have any representation in the British Parliament which is essential in a democratic setup.
Moreover, this move, if successful could lead to imposing future and new taxes on the British colonies. These could be the reasons why Mr. Franklin supported the move initially and then later opposed it (when he saw the resistance and understood the reason for it). On both counts the writer supports the stance taken by Mr. Franklin. There is no justification to impose taxes on an area when proper democratic representation is not provided to it. Moreover, it was inevitable that a move towards total independence would take place in America also as it happened later in many parts of the world (for example India). Directly or indirectly the Stamp Act itself, along with Mr. Benjamin Franklin paved the way for American independence and the formation of the United States of America.
Works Cited
Colonial America, Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790. Travel and History. 2008. Web.
Henry, Patrick. Text of Virginia Resolves from Morison, Sources and Documents. Virginia resolves on the Stamp Act. 1765. 2008. Web.
Publications and Records: Britain, America and the 1765 Stamp Act, An Exhibition by the Parliamentary Archives. Parliament.Uk. 2007. Web.
Related Information: The Declaratory Act. US History. 1766. Web.
Rickard J. Seven Years War (1756-1763). 2000. Web.
The Patriotic Resource, The American Revolution. 2001. Web.