The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed.
The colonist rejected the act considering it as violations of their rights and the stamp tax distributors were intimidated into resigning their commissions, so the tax was never effectively collected.
Explanation:
The Stamp Act of 1765 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain that imposed a direct tax on the colonies in North America and required that the printed materials in there should be produced in London.
Its purpose was to pay for British military troops stationed in the American colonies after the French Indian War. The act was very unpopular among the colonist and even between some Englishman.
The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting held in New York consisting of representatives of some British colonies with the purpose of protest against the Act. It was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies.
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was intended to illustrate the absurdity of the colonies following Britain's rule. It was a persuasive argument for American independence.
