Stamp Act

Stamp Act Congress

The Stamp Act Congress was formed by the American colonists in October of 1765 as a response to the Stamp Act of 1765 passed earlier that year. Its purpose was to draft a petition called the Declaration of Rights and Grievances to the King and Parliament. In it, the colonists talkd about the unfairness of the tax and their general grievances against it.

It also started the preliminary arguments that only taxes approved by their own representatives could be imposed on them, leading eventually to the no taxation without representation cries a decade later.

Seeing the angry colonists and its inability to enforce the act, England repealed the act in 1766. However, it didn't let the colonists think they had complete control over their taxation. Along with the repeal was attached the Declaratory Act, which stated that Parliament had "full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America."