Historic Context
To help alleviate the financial burden incurred from the French and Indian War, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act of 1765, requiring American colonists to pay taxes on a wide array of paper products, including legal documents, newspapers, pamphlets, licenses, and even playing cards. Many colonists quickly resisted this act, as they believed only their local colonial representatives had the right to issue new taxes. The rallying cry of "No taxation without representation" echoed throughout the colonies, sparking widespread protests and civil unrest.
In Virginia, opposition to the Stamp Act primarily occurred through political means. Many members of the Virginia House of Burgesses were quite outspoken about their discontent. At the behest of leaders like Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, the House of Burgesses passed the Virginia Resolves, which declared that only the colonial legislature, not the British Parliament, had the right to tax Virginian, and asserted Virginians possessed the same rights as Englishmen. Printed and spread throughout the colonies, these resolutions played a crucial role in providing an ideological basis for resistance against British taxation.
New England colonies adopted a more grassroots and confrontational approach to resistance. This region had a long history of dissent and direct action against British policies. Groups like the Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, organized protests, boycotts, and acts of civil disobedience. They engaged in activities such as mob violence, tarring and feathering tax collectors, and public demonstrations that targeted symbols of British authority. This contrasted with Virginia, where fewer grassroots protests took place. Interestingly, however, this letter shows that Virginia did still participate in some violence and intimidation, as Mercer felt himself at “risque of this life.”
The combination of these two types of resistance to the Stamp Act proved successful, as Parliament repealed the act on March 18th, 1766. However, it was too late to repair the damage done to the relationship between American colonists and British authorities. Soon after repealing the act, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, affirming its right to impose taxes on the colonies at their own discretion. While largely ignored by colonists celebrating their victory, this set the stage for more serious confrontations in the coming years.
Learn more about British taxation on the road to Revolution in episode 2 of our podcast, Revolution Revisited - Taxes & Tea: Tensions Mount.
