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Article: Stamp Act (1765)
- Article from:
- Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History
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STAMP ACT (1765)
The Stamp Act, passed in March, 1765, was the first direct tax ever placed by the British government on the American colonies. The Act, which was to take effect November 1, 1765, required an official stamp on about 50 different types of documents, ranging from playing cards to newspapers and college diplomas. The stamp's cost depended on the value of the document. King George III's Prime Minister George Grenville, who led Parliament from 1763 to 1765, felt that such a tax was needed to help pay for the costs of the French and Indian War (1754
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1763). Great Britain was deeply in debt from the expenses of winning the war against France, and the revenues it gathered ...