what is repeal

the stamp act is repealed. everything youneed to know. the stamp act (tax on legal documents, magazines,newspapers, and many other types of paper) was the first ever attempt by the britishgovernment to tax the colonists directly, rather than by taxing imported goods. whilethe reactions of the average citizen to the stamp act were extreme, and often violent,colonial leaders took a more diplomatic approach to protesting the unpopular law. how did colonialleaders go about opposing the stamp act? in boston, a group led by samuel adams, originallyknown as the loyal nine, organized street demonstrations against the stamp act. adamsopenly encouraged businesses not to buy the stamps and even resorted to intimidation (andsometimes violence) to frighten tax collectors.

the group eventually became known as the sonsof liberty. as discontent toward the stamp and sugar actsgrew, the american colonies became more and more united. the slogan “no taxation withoutrepresentation”, championed by such men as james otis and samuel adams, spread throughoutthe colonies. the first colonial boycott (refusal to buybritish goods) began in new york in 1765, and it quickly spread to the other colonies.colonial leaders hoped that the boycott would hurt the british economy enough that parliamentwould repeal the new taxes. in boston, members of the massachusetts legislaturecalled for a stamp act congress to discuss the unpopular law. nine colonies attendedthe stamp act congress in new york where they

issued the declaration of rights and grievances,stating that the law violated their rights as english citizens. they also petitionedparliament to repeal the law and decided to boycott british goods until the act was revoked.this vital step pulled the american colonies even closer together. in virginia, a lawyer named patrick henryproposed a series of resolutions to the virginia house of burgesses. known as the stamp actresolves, it declared that only the general assembly (house of burgesses) had the rightto levy taxes on the colony. it also stated that britain’s actions with the stamp actwere a threat to american and british freedom. many felt that the resolution went too far,and it was retracted the following day. yet

the message was clear. the colonies objectedto direct british rule. due to the extreme actions of colonial citizens,not a single stamp commissioner was in business on november 1, 1765, the day the stamp actwas to take effect. in london, merchants petitioned parliament to repeal the stamp act due tothe crippling impact of the boycott. the stamp act was repealed in 1766, but parliament,upset that the colonists had challenged their authority, issued the declaratory act on theexact same day. the declaratory act stated that parliament had the power to make lawsfor the colonies “in all cases whatsoever.” while the new act had no direct impact onthe colonies at all, the message of parliament was also clear. king george iii and parliamentobjected to acts of american insubordination.