StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The American Revolution was sparked, in very many respects, by a well-reasoned disagreement between the British crown and the American colonists concerning the nature of government and the rights of the governed. Although practical realities arose which gave fuel to the fire, the burning question of how the crown ought to rule and what rights the colonists had under that rule was the central concern around which the Revolution revolved…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98% of users find it useful
The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act"

The American Revolution was sparked, in very many respects, by a well-reasoned disagreement between the British crown and the American colonists concerning the nature of government and the rights of the governed. Although practical realities arose which gave fuel to the fire, the burning question of how the crown ought to rule and what rights the colonists had under that rule was the central concern around which the Revolution revolved. The small rebellion that arose due to the passage by the crown of the Stamp Act precipitated the crisis and provided a kind of dress rehearsal for the argumentative debate that would eventually lead to war.

More precisely, the Stamp Act rebellion represented a last-ditch effort by the colonists to increase their own freedom and independence within the confines of their relationship with the crown before, in failing to achieve the end they sought, they were forced to throw off the crown entirely and declare independence. In this brief paper, the argument put forward by the colonists in the Stamp Act Resolutions and the crown’s response through Parliament in the Declaratory Act of 1766 will be reviewed to determine the position of both the colonists and the Britiah government as the two headed to war.

The taxes imposed by the crown following the French and Indian War were intended by the British government to re-emphasize their control over the colonies in addition to raising funds for financing their empire. The colonists found the taxes oppressive and unreasonable, but not only due to their practical costs, but also due to the ideological foundations upon which they were founded. He colonists believed that they were being asked to bear all the responsibilities of being British citizens without any of the rights.

Therefore they passed the Stamp Act Resolutions as a response to the taxing regime. The Resolutions presented an argument that was built around the idea that they were British citizens. They claimed that they owed the same allegiance to the Crown as those born within England’s borders. But this allegiance was not entirely one-sided, as they were owed the same rights as those born in England, including the right not to be taxed without consent or representation. Because the only representation that they themselves had, not being represented in the Parliament by elected officials, was their own various colonial governments, they argued that the only taxes that could be imposed on them were the taxes voted by their own representative bodies (The Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions — 1765).

The colonists’ argument was intended to carve out a right to representation for themselves as governed subjects. The colonists argued that the only arm of the British government that had moral authority to impose taxes was the colonial governments. If it was meant to convince the British government of a governing hypocrisy, it met a response that did not acknowledge the argument’s validity. The Declaratory Act, in fact, reasserted the crown’s right to pass any law it saw fit through the Parliament regarding the colonies.

The reasoning was that the colonists were dependent upon the crown for their establishment, existence, and well-being, and that they were therefore subject to the laws that the crown imposed through its rightful bodies. Britain, in other words, argued that the colonists, being dependent on the crown, were subject to it (The Declaratory Act). This expressed the crown’s view that it was the ultimate authority in the relationship. But it led Americans to ask: Are we dependent? And later, just one step to the side of that question… Are we subject?

(Morgan and Morgan 1995, p. 70). The Stamp Act Resolutions and the Declaratory Act were examples of the two best arguments the two opposing sides had regarding the tension that was building in their established relationship. The colonists argued to increase their freedom, and the crown to express its authority. Ultimately this led to the war for independence based on an expressed intent of the colonists to take that freedom by force if necessary and the crown’s intent to hold its possessions.

In the end the argument put forward by the colonists seemed to have the strongest moral authority, and in any event the practical realities of ruling an unwilling subject from afar came to be too much for the British government to manage in its hold on empire. Works Citized Morgan, Edmund Sears, and Morgan, Helen M. The Stamp Act Crisis: Prologue to Revolution. Chapel Hill: University of Noth Carolina Press. The Declaratory Act. [Online] Retrieved May 30, 2011. . The Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions — 1765.

[Online] Retrieved May 30, 2011.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1424189-the-stamp-act-resolutions-and-the-declaratory-act
(The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act Essay)
https://studentshare.org/other/1424189-the-stamp-act-resolutions-and-the-declaratory-act.
“The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1424189-the-stamp-act-resolutions-and-the-declaratory-act.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Stamp Act Resolutions and The Declaratory Act

Irish Revolution

Course Submission date Irish Revolution: Relationship between Revolutionary Conflict and Change ‘Revolution' literally means a huge change in ideology and practice.... Politically we can take it as a term used when a government is overthrown i.... .... hellip; a complete sudden change of rulers and the political system of a nation....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The French and Indian War

In the days when the mighty British Empire spanned out over the world with colonies covering land across thousands of miles of ocean, it was said by many that the sun never sets on the British Empire.... In the middle of the eighteenth century, the last great clash between Great Britain and France tore across a continent three thousand miles away....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

The Advent of the American Revolution

And so, the British parliament passed a law called the stamp act.... Although the law was repealed, the parliament passed a declaratory act that affirmed the British's right to legislate laws that it wanted for its colonies.... This act would impose taxes on items like newspapers and pamphlets by compelling them to have stamps.... This was followed by the passage of the Tea act to save the East India Company from bankruptcy.... Eventually, they saw that they cannot pursue these interests as different colonies but should act as one and it was only through independence from British rule that it can be achieved....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

The Currency Act of 1764, Weakness of the British Administration

The annihilation of the stamp act and unpopular taxes in 1765-1766 have improved the relations between American provinces and Britain but the American agents have felt that they are able to claim greater economic and political independence in creating and controlling the inner market.... the stamp act was annihilated, the taxes on imports were reduced and the trade laws became less strict.... When William Pitt became the head of administration the tensions decreased to some extend in summer 1766, especially taking into account his declaratory act in which the American colonies were granted freedom in terms of inner taxation....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

The American colonization, on the eve of Revolution

Eventually due to the violent protests and plea, the stamp act was repealed but 27 August 2007 The American Colonization, on the Eve of Revolution What do you think the greatest social and political tensions were in the thirteen colonies on the eve of the American Revolution?... he first of the series of events that caused the American Revolution was the passage of the stamp act by the British Parliament.... Eventually due to the violent protests and plea, the stamp act was repealed but a Declaratory Act wherein it gives the British parliament the right to legislate laws it wished for its colonies replaced it....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Seven Years War - Its Significance and Impact on Colonial Policy

The intermittent conflicts had seen each side victorious at one time or another, but the long wars were torturing the economy and society of both countries, who… In American history, the Seven Years' War has special significance.... It helped create a set of circumstances and attitudes that boosted the colonists toward independence....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

John Hancock the Forgotten Hero

Revenue stamps were to be compulsorily carried on all printed matter starting from pamphlets, bills, to newspapers under the stamp act.... In protest against this, colonial America formed a Stamp Act Congress which called for the rolling back of the Stamps Act which was soon replaced with the infamous declaratory act.... This act gave Great Britain supreme power over the American colonies leading to outspread public outrage....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

The Impact of the American Revolution on Ireland

The author of the paper examines the impact of the American Revolution on Ireland and states that it served as an inspiration, a form of leverage and an opportunity for the Irish patriots to get the attention of the British and cede to their primary demands.... nbsp; … To the American colonists, Ireland itself represented strategic importance....
10 Pages (2500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us