The Stamp Act Resolutions
The Stamp Act of 1765 was developed during the meeting later called the Stamp Act Congress. The purpose of the Stamp Act Congress was to address certain concerns and discuss the possible ways to terminate them. The difference between the Stamp Act and the Acts before it was in handling the tax issues. If previous Acts tried to design strategies of trade and commerce regulation, the Stamp Act was focused on direct financial withdrawal from colonists. The Stamp Act became the first direct tax law that dealt with taxes on domestically produced and consumed items (Fradin, 2010).
The question of the British regulation of trade was raised. The regulation process was considered legal, although Congress did not agree with imposing internal taxes in this case. The taxes were superimposed by the British government and did not have the official approval of the colonial government. This correlates with the first and the second statements – the British colonies owe the same allegiance as any other subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain and are entitled to the same inherent rights.
However, statements three to five show that, despite staying the proud subjects of the British Empire on paper, colonists admitted the necessity of acquiring financial independence to create beneficial living conditions within the colonies. It was the first effort to reject British authority in America.
Consisting of delegates and representatives from nine colonies (Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania), The Stamp Act Congress was formed in New York’s City Hall in October 1765 (Burgan, 2005). The Act received major support and was enforced by stamp agents, giving the colonists the right to trial by jury and freedom from taxes imposed on them without their consent.
The main arguments of the colonists were the fact that they did not have representation in Parliament and the fact that they were unfairly taxed. Their main rationale was focused on the unproductiveness of being controlled from the other side of the ocean and the necessity to entrust the local affairs in the local hands. The colonists were sure their rights were being violated as their taxes were imposed without representation.
The recent Acts of the British Parliament caused the colonies much unrest which they also used as an argument to support their claims. Being the part of the Kingdom of Great Britain and being administered fewer rights to liberty and property than the mainland areas frustrated and infuriated many. One of their other biggest appeals to the British Empire was also the notion that to stay loyal subjects of the Crown, the colonies should acquire more independence, and for this reason, they wanted proper representation in Parliament.
As a result, the British Parliament was deeply offended by the document and rejected it. The stated reason for rejection was the claim that the document was issued by an unconstitutional assembly (Stamp Act Congress, n.d., para. 13). The British Parliament’s concerns lied with the arbitrary fashion in which the Stamp Act Congress refused to let the British Parliament impose taxation. Although, even though the British Parliament did not approve the petition, the meeting of the First Congress managed to unite colonial representatives to work for the mutual cause and become the first step to independence and the formation of the United States. The First Continental Congress was formed as a result of September 5, 1774.
Declaratory Act
The relationship the colonies wanted with the Crown represented a situation when colonies defined themselves as subordinates of Great Britain and the King but reclaimed power over the continent and acted independently under the pretense of binding themselves together for the convenience of the British Empire. Denying the British Empire the right to make laws and statutes worked as a catalyzer of the upcoming rupture between Great Britain and the American colonies.
The Declaratory Act of 1766 was issued to prevent this possibility. Britain did not want to lose control over the American continent and essentially copied the Act from the Irish Declaratory Act devised to chain Ireland to the Crown. To do the same thing to America, Great Britain tried to enforce its rule on the continent by restricting the Colonial Assembly from passing any binding laws so a situation similar to the creation of the Stamp Act would never happen again (Temperley, 1912).
The Empire wanted all of its colonies intact, and, for this purpose, it came up with the Declaratory Act. However, it did not fully serve this purpose as it prompted the colonies to unite against the British government and practically accelerated the process of their dissenting from the Crown and became the forerunner of the American Revolution.
Many people agree that these events are the defining points in American history as they first introduce the unification of the first colonies and their struggle against the oppression of the British Empire. Unfortunately, it was not possible to avoid the conflict due to Britain’s possessive attitude towards its colonies; the emergence of the American Revolution was necessary.
References
Burgan, M. (2005). The Stamp Act of 1765. Minneapolis, Minn.: Compass Point Books.
Fradin, D. (2010). The Stamp Act of 1765. New York, NY: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark.
Temperley, H. (1912). Debates on the Declaratory Act and the Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766. The American Historical Review, 17(3), pp. 563-586.
Stamp Act Congress. (n.d.). Web.