Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, making it a major pre-Revolutionary American protest.
The act required many printed materials in the British American colonies to carry a tax stamp. Newspapers, legal documents, licenses, pamphlets, and other paper goods were affected. It was the first direct internal tax imposed by Parliament on the colonies, rather than a duty regulating trade.
Colonists objected that they were being taxed by a legislature in which they had no elected representatives. The slogan “no taxation without representation” became closely associated with resistance to the law. Colonial assemblies issued protests, and delegates from nine colonies met at the Stamp Act Congress in New York in October 1765.
Widespread boycotts and political pressure led Parliament to repeal the act in March 1766. At the same time, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, asserting its authority to legislate for the colonies. The dispute helped establish arguments and networks later used during the independence movement.