An Act for granting and applying certain Stamp Duties, and other Duties, in the British Colonies and Plantations in America, towards further defraying the Expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such Parts of the several Acts of Parliament relating to the Trade and Revenues of the said Colonies and Plantations, as direct the Manner of determining and recovering the Penalties and Forfeitures therein mentioned.

STAMP ACT.

Published by London: by Mark Baskett, Printer to the King's most Excellent Majesty; and by the Assigns of Robert Baskett, 1765

About this Item

First edition of the Stamp Act, one of the momentous documents in American history and a key trigger for the Revolution. In the aftermath of the Seven Years War, the British parliament sought to increase revenue from the American colonies, both to fund their ongoing defence and administration, and to pay down the vast wartime debt. The stamp tax imposed duties on all legal and commercial papers, pamphlets, newspapers, almanacs, cards, and dice. It empowered stamp inspectors in each colonial district. The colonists bitterly opposed the Act. Several editions printed in the colonies followed this British edition. Opposition centred on the absence of American representatives in the British parliament - the cry of "no taxation without representation". To unify the response, colonial leaders formed the Stamp Act Congress, which served as a precursor to and model for the Continental Congress. The British government backed down and abolished the Act in 1766, but the ferment it incited continued to brew, and, exacerbated by the later Intolerable Acts, culminated in the Declaration of Independence. ESTC N56844; Howes A285. Folio (306 x 197 mm); pp. [2], 279-310. Disbound. Lightly browned, earlier stitch holes in gutter. An excellent copy. Seller Inventory # 175385

Bibliographic Details

Title: An Act for granting and applying certain ...

Publisher: London: by Mark Baskett, Printer to the King's most Excellent Majesty; and by the Assigns of Robert Baskett, 1765

Edition: 1st Edition