2 – Taxes & Tea: Tensions Mount

This revenue stamp is from the British Stamp Act in 1765. It is an impressed duty stamp, created by impressing (embossing) a stamp onto a document to show that the required duty (tax) had been paid. This embossed stamp was used in America issued with a date of registration by the British government on April 18th, 1765, for the amount of II shillings and VI pence to pay for an original grant, deed or conveyance of land of above 200 acres but not exceeding 320 acres. The tax was enforced by making the documents unenforceable in court if they had not been properly stamped.

This English silver serving spoon, commissioned by Landon Carter, a colonial writer and member of the House of Burgesses, celebrates the 1766 repeal of the Stamp Act. The reverse of the handle is engraved with Carter's initials, the date, and the words "Repeal of the American Stamp Act." Carter ordered tablespoons from London, specifying they be crafted in silver if the Stamp Act was repealed or in horn if it remained. Receiving a silver spoon represented a personal victory for Carter, who was the first public official in Virginia to speak out against the act.

George Mercer (1733–1784) was a prominent Virginian who served alongside George Washington during the French and Indian War and represented Frederick County in the House of Burgesses (1761–1765). Appointed stamp collector for Maryland and Virginia in 1765, Mercer quickly resigned due to fierce opposition from colleagues and constituents, as seen in this 1772 petition. He later testified before Parliament, warning that enforcing the Stamp Act in America would provoke unrest. Mercer stayed in England during the American Revolution, even as several family members, including his cousin George Mason, became leading Patriots.

This teapot belonged to Col. Francis West (1711–1796), who reportedly drank tea from it in secret after the 1773 Boston Tea Party. While boycotts of British goods were central to resisting the Crown, they were difficult to enforce. Many colonists resisted changing their lifestyles, and support for rebellion was not universal. West’s private actions reflect the tension between public resistance and private adherence to familiar comforts, showcasing the complexities of colonial America's struggle for independence.