Agents representing North American colonies in England, including Benjamin Franklin, were quick to urge Parliament against the wisdom of this new tax. Their voices were joined with those of several British statesmen, including William Pitt and Edmund Burke. Unfortunately for the British Empire, Grenville did not listen to this opposition. Instead, he was focused on the bottom line and emboldened by the unswerving support of many members of Parliament. Consequently, the Stamp Tax ultimately prevailed, passing Parliament by an overwhelming margin.
Franklin and the other colonial agents grudgingly reported the news to their constituents and urged compliance. Franklin even flirted with a possible royal appointment in the new tax collection network that would be required in North America.
Few predicted the emotionally charged response that greeted this comprehensive tax and the bold expansion of parliamentary authority over the American colonies it represented. Yet no one could ignore what the Stamp Tax soon triggered, and the relationship between Great Britain and her North American colonies would never be the same.
Our next article will profile some of the colonial leaders in America's resistance to the Stamp Act, focusing especially on a self-trained attorney from Virginia and a failed businessman from Boston.
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Selected Bibliography:
Fleming, Thomas J., Liberty! The American Revolution
Morgan, Edmund, The Stamp Act Crisis
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