US History

U.S. History Study Guide

©2018 of 194 Prime Minister Grenville and his followers argued that the colonists had to pay Parliamentary taxes because all of these people were virtually represented in Parliament. In this theory of virtual representation, even though they were not formally represented, the English took into consideration all British subjects and did what was best for the empire. 5.7 Stamp Act Repealed and Declaratory Act Enacted In 1765, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed the Virginia Resolves, which denied Parliament’s right to tax the colonies under the Stamp Act. By the end of the year, eight other colonial legislatures had adopted similar positions. Nine colonial delegations met and agreed that there could be no taxation without representation and then the colonists started boycotting British goods. In England the only types of people who were not represented in Parliament about taxing were the poor, servants, and women. This was seen by the colonists as another shot at their pride, in fact, they had been taxed themselves for years, they could not see why it did not go through their assemblies as it had in the past. This was a very politically disastrous tax because of the type of people it affected. They taxed things like playing cards and dice which effected sailors, a rowdy boisterous group with a lot of free time that could cause serious problems. It taxed legal papers which effected lawyers who were extremely educated and could demonstrate their displeasure in a legal and articulate way. Under strong pressure and protest from the colonies, and with their economy slumping because of the colonial boycott of British goods, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766 simultaneously, Parliament then passed the Declaratory Act to solidify British rule in the colonies. The Declaratory Act stated that Parliament had the power to tax and legislate for the colonies in all cases, not allowing the colonists to set up their own legislature. A similar act had been passed in Ireland and many colonists had taken note of this, looking at the disparity and disarray that the British Act imposed on Ireland. In fear of the same outcome the colonies held steadfast on their boycotts. The widespread boycott hurt the British economy dramatically. 5.8 The Sons of Liberty and the Daughters of Liberty The Sons of Liberty were a secret society originally started in Boston, Massachusetts in protest of the Stamp Act, it spread through the colonies and became an underground group that connected throughout the colonies and propagated active resistance against British taxation, then demanded independence from British rule. Some of the more famous Sons of Liberty included, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, John Hancock, James Otis, and Paul Revere. The Sons of Liberty are best known for their role in the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and spreading colonial propaganda that enraged and encouraged the colonies to pursue freedom from British rule. The Daughters of Liberty supported resistance to the British taxes by actively helping the colonists keep the British boycott by making clothes at home. They tirelessly worked to keep up the high demand and ensured the boycott would be successful. Abigail Adams was one of the most influential members of the Daughters of Liberty. Achieve Page 59