Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765.
The act required many printed materials in Britain’s American colonies to carry a tax stamp. Newspapers, legal documents, licenses, pamphlets, and other paper items were among the materials affected. Unlike many earlier colonial duties, the Stamp Act applied directly to internal transactions.
Colonial opponents argued that taxation required representation in the lawmaking body imposing it. The slogan “no taxation without representation” became closely associated with resistance, although colonial objections also involved constitutional questions about Parliament’s authority.
Protests spread across the colonies. The Stamp Act Congress met in New York in October 1765, while groups such as the Sons of Liberty organized demonstrations and pressured stamp distributors to resign. Parliament repealed the act in 1766, but simultaneously passed the Declaratory Act, asserting its authority over the colonies. The controversy left a lasting political memory that shaped later resistance to British policies.