“Liberty, property, and no stamps!” In this episode, I cover the Stamp Act, the incendiary British policy to tax the North American colonists directly for the first time in history. I also cover the widespread ramifications of the act, which caused most of Britain’s North American colonies to respond with a nullification campaign to make the law unenforceable. Of all times in this struggle, it was in 1765 that patriot radicalism grew to its highest point. I conclude by illustrating why the repeal of the Stamp Act was an imperfect remedy to patriot theories regarding taxation.
RECOMMENDED READING
Edmund Morgan, The Stamp Act Crisis
Richard Bland, An Enquiry Into the Rights of the English Colonies
Mercy Otis Warren, History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution
Thomas Whatley, The Regulations Lately Made Concerning the -Colonies and the Taxes Imposed upon them Considered
