He declared that the General Assembly of this colony have the sole right and power to levy taxes and impositions upon the inhabitants of this colony and that every attempt to vest such power in any other person or persons whatsoever, other than the General Assembly aforesaid, has a manifest tendency to destroy British as well as American freedom.Īn invitation of Massachusetts for the colonies to meet in a representative convention in New York was responded to favorably, and the famous Stamp Act Congress," so called, assembled at New York on the 7th of October. Among the foremost of those who boldly denounced the act in almost treasonable language was Patrick Henry, then about twenty-nine years of age. The pulpit thundered condemnation and defiance in the name of a righteous God at public gatherings the orators denounced it the newspapers teemed with seditious essays, and the colonial assemblies rang with rebellious utterances. The people in villages and cities gathered in excited groups and boldly expressed their indignation. The infatuated ministry openly declared that it was intended to establish the power of Great Britain to tax the colonies." Everywhere the act was denounced.
So was produced the principal wedge which cleaved asunder the British empire. The members of the House knew that Great Britain was strong and believed the colonies were weak and without being "merciful," they passed the obnoxious bill on the 27th of February by a vote of two hundred and fifty against fifty. To the odiousness of the tax itself was added the provision for its collection by arbitrary power under the decrees of British judges, without any trial by jury.
The bill made all offenses against its provisions cognizable in the courts of admiralty. It provided that every skin or piece of vellum, or parchment, or sheet or piece of paper, used for legal purposes, such as bills, bonds, notes, leases, policies of insurance, marriage licenses, and a great many other documents, in order to be held valid in courts of law, was to be stamped, and sold by public officers appointed for the purpose, at prices which levied a stated tax on every such document. So assured, Grenville, on the 7th of February, introduced his famous motion for a stamp act, composed of fifty-five resolutions. He recommended the carrying out of Grenville's scheme, and assured the Parliament that he should use every endeavor to enforce obedience in the colonies. He seemed to be insensible to the danger to his realm of the storm then gathering in America.
On the assembling of Parliament after the Christmas holidays (January 10, 1765), King George III presented the American questioning of a Stamp Act as one of "obedience to the laws and respect for the legislative assembly of the kingdom." The stamp tax was to be the test.