AskSia

Plus

British colonists in North America objected to the Stamp Act primarily because i...

Oct 9, 2023

British colonists in North America objected to the Stamp Act primarily because it (A) threatened the free press (B) disrupted trade with the West Indies (C) closed the colonial courts (D) enriched corrupt officials (E) taxed them without their consent

E

Key Concept

KC-3.1.II: In the mid-18th century, new imperial initiatives led the British North American colonists to resist the imposition of new taxes, asserting their rights to self-governance. This resistance led to a colonial independence movement and the Revolutionary War.

Explanation

The Stamp Act of 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. The colonists objected to the Stamp Act not because it enriched corrupt officials, threatened the free press, disrupted trade, or closed the colonial courts, but because it was a tax levied without their consent. The slogan "No taxation without representation" expressed this primary grievance of the colonists, and it was one of the major causes of the American Revolution. What was the Stamp Act?, Why did the colonists object to the Stamp Act?, What was the significance of the slogan "No taxation without representation"?