Stamp from the Stamp Act of 1765

1765

In 1765, the British Parliament passed An Act for Granting and Applying Certain Stamp Duties in the British Colonies and Plantations in America, commonly called "The Stamp Act of 1765." Parliament had imposed taxes through the use of embossed revenue stamps, also known as impressed duty stamps, in Britain since 1694. In addition, between 1755 and 1757, Massachusetts colony instituted a tax using embossed revenues, while New York colony imposed a similar tax between 1757 and 1760. Despite the history of taxation in the colonies, the Stamp Act generated intense opposition, in part because the taxes were imposed at higher rates in the colonies than in England. The Stamp Act required that certain court documents, contracts, and property transfers be executed on stamped paper or they would be subject to penalties and would not be enforceable.