The Untold Story of American Independence - Part 2

The Quartering Act (1765)

“With the end of the French and Indian War, the British decided to maintain a larger troop deployment in North America. The problem was the cost. One of the solutions to keep down that cost was to expect the colonies to provide quarters for the soldiers. As a result, the ‘Quartering Act’ directed the colonies to construct sufficient barracks for the troops. It further stated that if there was not sufficient space for the soldiers in the barracks, then local inn keepers would have to put up soldiers and provide them with their basic needs. The act further stated also that soldiers would be put up in unused barns, outhouses and empty houses.

“The colonists objected to the Quartering Act for a number of reasons. First and foremost was the cost. Creating barracks and putting up the troops was an expensive measure that the colonies were loathe to undertake. Second, the Quartering Act was indicative of a policy Americans did not support, having a large standing army in the colonies. The colonists preferred having strong militia to deal with problems and not have a large army present.

“The strongest opponents of the Quartering Act came from New York. In early 1766, the New York Assembly refused to pay for the amount requested by the British Army to create barracks for their soldiers. A protracted dispute developed and in October, the New York assembly was suspended until it agreed to pay for the creation of barracks of the British soldiers. The Quartering Act was eventually repealed. However, while in force, it created a great deal of resentment from the colonists.”

Stamp Tax Imposed (1765)

“The Revenue Act of 1764 did not bring in enough money to help pay the cost of defending the colonies. The British looked for additional sources of taxation. Prime Minister Grenville supported the imposition of a stamp tax. Colonial representatives tried to convince Grenville that the tax was a bad idea. Grenville insisted in having the new taxes imposed and presented them for approval to the parliament. The parliament approved the Stamp Tax in February 1765.

“The stamp tax was a tax that was imposed on every document or newspaper printed or used in the colonies. The taxes ranged from one shilling a newspaper to ten pounds for a lawyers license, Everything a colonist needed to was taxed. The income was to be directed to pay the cost of defending the colonies. The colonist particularly objected to the fact that violation of the taxes would be prosecuted by in Admiralty Courts and not by jury trials. The tax was approved with no debate.

“The colonies responded with outrage. It was considered a ‘shocking act’. The colonist considered the act unconstitutional, a tax had been imposed and they had not been consulted. They had no need to heed the taxes. The Virginia House of Burgesses was nearing the end of its session when word of the Stamp Act reached it. A young delegate named Patrick Henry introduced a Resolution which stated that: ‘That the general assembly of the colony, together with his majesty or his substitute have in their representative capacity the only exclusive right and power to levy taxes and impositions on the inhabitants of this colony and that every attempt to vest such a power in any person or persons whatsoever other than the general assembly aforesaid is illegal, unconstitutional, and unjust, and has a manifest tendency to destroy British, as well as American freedom.’ This was the beginning of a united colonial opposition to the British Act.”

Sons of Liberty Organized (1765)

“The passage of the Stamp Act created the first sustained opposition to the British. The opposition was not only political. The opposition also took the form of demonstrations, rioting and other acts of violence. The violent actions were not spontaneous. The actions were coordinated and implemented by a new organization called ‘The Sons of Liberty’. The Sons of Liberty was founded in the summer of 1765 by a group of shopkeepers and artisans in Boston. The founders of the group were not the most prominent of Boston’s citizens. However, the group included Benjamin Edes, who was a printer and John Gil who ran the Boston Gazette, thus assuring they were able to spread their message.

“The first action the Sons of Liberty initiated took place on August 14, 1765. The Son’s burned an effigy of Andrew Oliver who was slated to become the Commissioner of the Stamps for Massachusetts. That night, a mob burned part of Oliver’s property in Boston and ransacked an abandoned house belonging to Oliver.

“The Sons of Liberty quickly spread to all of the colonies. Their goal was to undermine all attempts to enforce the Stamp Act. Their actions were successful. There was no royal force available to counter the Sons of Liberty. The actions of the Sons of Liberty were instrumental in forcing the British to repeal the Stamp Act. After their initial victory, the Sons of Liberty continued their anti-British agitations, with such actions as planting Liberty trees in New York, and burning of the British revenue cutter, ‘The Gaspee’.”

                                                           

The Stamp Act Congress (1765)

“In October 1765 the Stamp Act Congress convened in New York. The Congress met in response to the passage of the Stamp Act and the growing anger in the colonies to the British action. The Stamp Act Congress marked the first time that representatives of different colonies officially met together. Four colonies were absent- Georgia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia.

“The Congress was divided between those who wanted to take strong action against Britain and those who just wanted to protest against the taxation. The President of the Congress was William Ruggles. The meeting lasted three weeks. By the end of the Stamp Act Congress the members had agreed to a joint Declaration of Rights and Grievances. The Declaration reasserted the rights of the colonists to be treated as Englishman. The major right that the colonists demanded was the right to be taxed, only if they agree.

“The Congress prepared a petition to the King, as well as letters to the Parliament, underscoring the rights. While the Stamp Act Congress did not by itself convince the British to rescind the Stamp Act, it was clearly one of the factors. Most importantly, the Congress marked an important milestone in the development of the identity of the colonies as more than just individual colonies, but the start of a greater national identity.”


Stamp Tax Repealed (1766)

“The British were surprised by the level of the opposition to the Stamp tax. They were faced with two options, repress the opposition with force or repeal the Stamp Tax. The many in Britain supported repeal of the tax, feeling it was not possible to enforce it. British merchants also supported the repeal, believing that the tax was bad for their business.“There was a heated debate in the British parliament. William Pitt one of the greatest orators in the parliament rose from his sickbed to argue for the repeal of the tax. He said, ‘This Kingdom has no right to lay a tax upon the colonies. They are the subjects of the kingdom equally entitled with yourselves to all the natural rights of mankind and the peculiar privileges of Englishmen. The Americans are the sons not the bastards of England.’ Later in his speech he stated, ‘Some have the idea that the colonies are virtually represented in this house. I would fain to know by an American is represented here?’

“Prime Minister Grenville responded to Pitts speech defending the taxes. The debate went on, and the parliament decided to add a Declaratory Act that stated that the parliament had the right to impose the taxes. Finally, after the King indicated that he supported the repeal, the Stamp Tax was repealed by a margin of 200 votes.”

(Note: Unless otherwise stated, the historical information presented in quotations comes from www.historycentral.com.)