The Stamp Act

The Seven Year’s War over the land in the New World caused England to face a drowning debt that “absorbed half the government’s annual revenue” (Liberty 180). The English did not have any concern regarding how much money it would take for them to win the war so they could continue to be the most powerful European country. Once the debt became an issue, the British government wanted to generate revenue lost from the war by imposing taxes directly on the colonies. This situation created the Sugar and Stamp Act. The Stamp Act “required that all printed material produced in the colonies carry a stamp purchased from authorities” (Freedom 90), which affected every colonist. Obviously, the British thought the Sugar and Stamp Act would be a fast way to get the debt paid off and enacted them without the colonists vote. The colonies felt the taxes were not justified because they were not represented and did not vote on the new tax regulations, “no taxation without representation” (Liberty 182). The Virginia resolution on the Stamp Act was written by Patrick Henry indicating the colonies had the right to representation before any tax could be levied. The Virginia House of Burgesses adopted the first four resolutions and rejected the last three resolutions because they were “too radical” (Freedom 90). The first four resolutions were requesting for people to be treated equally with some independence, and not allow taxes or laws to be passed without having representation.