Founding1765
Stamp Act Passed by Parliament
The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, imposing the first direct tax on the American colonies. The act required colonists to pay a tax on printed materials including newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards, provoking widespread resistance under the banner "no taxation without representation."
Why It Matters
The Stamp Act crisis awakened American political consciousness and established the constitutional principle that government derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed, a cornerstone of the later Declaration of Independence.