Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, the direct-tax crisis that helped shape the America250 founding story.
The British Parliament passed the act on March 22, 1765, and it was scheduled to take effect on November 1. The law required many printed materials in the American colonies, including legal documents, newspapers, magazines, and playing cards, to use stamped paper carrying an embossed revenue mark.
The measure was intended to raise money for British troops stationed in North America after the Seven Years’ War. Colonists objected because Parliament imposed the tax without representatives elected by the American colonies. Protesters used the slogan “No taxation without representation,” and local resistance groups pressured appointed stamp distributors to resign.
The Stamp Act Congress met in New York in October 1765, representing nine colonies. Britain repealed the act on March 18, 1766, but Parliament simultaneously asserted its authority to legislate for the colonies. That unresolved dispute contributed to later confrontations and the American Revolution.