British Culture - User contributions [en]

Stamp Act

2010-02-01T16:28:53Z

Tim:

Passed by British [[Parliament]] in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the [[colonies]].

== Background ==

As a consequence of winning the [[French and Indian War]], which had ended with the signing of the [[Treaty of Paris|Peace of Paris]], France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.

== Stamp Act ==

Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:

"An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned" (qtd. in Thomas)

The Stamp Act made it necessary for the colonists to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages.

All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the [[Virginia settlement]]; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the [[Stamp Act Congress]] in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists' anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

== Sources ==

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.

O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.

Thomas, Steven. ''America's Homepage: Stamp Act 1765''. http://ahp.gatech.edu/stamp_act_bp_1765.html. 2001. Accessed Jan. 28, 2010.

Tea Act

2010-01-28T20:08:10Z

Tim: Created page with 'Law passed by the British Parliament on May 10, 1773. Previous attempts to tax the colonists, for example through special tax stamps for paperwork (Stamp Act), had been a…'

Law passed by the [[British Parliament]] on May 10, 1773. Previous attempts to tax the colonists, for example through special tax stamps for paperwork ([[Stamp Act]]), had been answered by the colonists with anger and increasing dissatisfaction with British rule. The Tea Act of 1773 would launch the final spark on the road to the [[American Revolution]]. Unlike previous measures, it was not meant to raise revenue in the [[colonies]], and it did not impose any new taxes. Instead, it was supposed to support the [[East India Company]] which was not only in financial trouble, but sat on eighteen million pounds of tea that remained unsold. This tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies and sold at low prices. The [[Townshend]] Duties (an import duty of only 3 pence per pound) were still in place, however, and a lot of people in America believed that this act was a maneuver to buy popular support for the hated [[tea tax]].

Whereas colonists in Philadelphia and New York turned the tea ships back to Britain, in Boston the ships were held in port, where the colonists would not allow them to unload. Cargoes of tea filled the harbor, and the British ship's crews were stalled in Boston looking for work and often finding trouble. This situation lead to the [[Boston Tea Party]].

== Sources ==

Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum. http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/history.asp. Accessed: Jan. 28, 2010.

Steve, Thomas: ''America's Homepage''. http://ahp.gatech.edu/tea_act_bp_1773.html. Accessed: Jan. 28, 2010.

US History: The Tea Act. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/teaact.htm. Accessed: Jan. 28, 2010.

Montesquieu

2010-01-28T19:24:08Z

Tim: Created page with '== Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (January 18, 1689 - February 10, 1755) == One of the great political philosophers of the Enlightenment. He constructed a …'

== Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (January 18, 1689 - February 10, 1755) ==

One of the great political philosophers of the [[Enlightenment]]. He constructed a naturalistic account of the various forms of [[government]] and the causes that made them what they were and that influenced their development. Montesquieu used that account to explain how governments might be preserved from corruption. He viewed [[despotism]], in particular, as a potent danger for any government. It could be avoided, he argued, by a system in which different bodies would share the power, and in which they would be bound by the rule of law. His theory of the [[separation of powers]] (into a [[legislative]], an [[executive]], and a [[judiciary branch]]) had an enormous impact on political theory and lay the groundworks for the [[Constitution of the United States]].

== Sources ==

Baron de Montesquieu: A Short Biography. http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/montesquieu/montesquieu-bio.html. Accessed: Jan. 28, 2010.

Catholic Encyclopedia. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10536a.htm. Accessed: Jan. 28, 2010.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/montesquieu. (Jan 20, 2010). Accessed: Jan. 28, 2010.

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:54:37Z

Tim: moved Stamp act to Stamp Act

Passed by [[British Parliament]] in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the [[colonies]].

== Background ==

As a consequence of winning the [[French and Indian War]], which had ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris, France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.

== Stamp Act ==

Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, the British Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:

"An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned" (qtd. in Thomas: America's Homepage)

It said that the colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages.

All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the [[Virginia settlement]]; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the [[Stamp Act Congress]] in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists' anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

== Sources ==

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.

O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.

Thomas, Steven. ''America's Homepage: Stamp Act 1765''. http://ahp.gatech.edu/stamp_act_bp_1765.html. 2001. Accessed Jan. 28, 2010.

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:52:37Z

Tim: /* Sources */

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:51:38Z

Tim:

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:42:05Z

Tim: /* Sources */

Passed by British Parliament in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the colonies.

As a consequence of winning the French and Indian War, which had ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris, France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.
Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, the British Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:

"An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned."

It said that the colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages. All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the Virginia settlement; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the “Stamp Act Congress” in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists’ anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

== Sources ==

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.

O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:37:48Z

Tim:

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:36:34Z

Tim:

Passed by British Parliament in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the colonies.

As a consequence of winning the French and Indian War, which had ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris, France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.
Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, the British Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:

"An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned."

It said that the colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages. All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the Virginia settlement; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the “Stamp Act Congress” in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists’ anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.

O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.

''An Act of Parliament Passed In the Sixth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Third. 1766. An Act for Repealing Certain Duties In the British Colonies and Plantations ... and for Further Encouraging, Regulating and Securing, Several Branches of the Trade of the Kingdom, and the British Dominions In America.'' Boston: Printed by Richard and Samuel Draper, and Green and Russell, printers to the government., 1766.

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:35:41Z

Tim:

Passed by British Parliament in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the colonies.

As a consequence of winning the French and Indian War, which had ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris, France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.
Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, the British Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:
“An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned.”

It said that the colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages. All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the Virginia settlement; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the “Stamp Act Congress” in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists’ anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.

O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.

''An Act of Parliament Passed In the Sixth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Third. 1766. An Act for Repealing Certain Duties In the British Colonies and Plantations ... and for Further Encouraging, Regulating and Securing, Several Branches of the Trade of the Kingdom, and the British Dominions In America.'' Boston: Printed by Richard and Samuel Draper, and Green and Russell, printers to the government., 1766.

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:35:16Z

Tim:

Stamp Act
Passed by British Parliament in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the colonies.

As a consequence of winning the French and Indian War, which had ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris, France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.
Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, the British Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:
“An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned.”

It said that the colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages. All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the Virginia settlement; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the “Stamp Act Congress” in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists’ anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.

O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.

''An Act of Parliament Passed In the Sixth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Third. 1766. An Act for Repealing Certain Duties In the British Colonies and Plantations ... and for Further Encouraging, Regulating and Securing, Several Branches of the Trade of the Kingdom, and the British Dominions In America.'' Boston: Printed by Richard and Samuel Draper, and Green and Russell, printers to the government., 1766.

Stamp Act

2010-01-28T18:34:31Z

Tim: Created page with 'Stamp Act Passed by British Parliament in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the colonies. As a consequence of winning the French and Indian War, which had ended wit…'

Stamp Act
Passed by British Parliament in 1765 to raise money to pay for the defense of the colonies.

As a consequence of winning the French and Indian War, which had ended with the signing of the Peace of Paris, France gave up its claim to Canada and to all of North America east of the Mississippi River. Britain had won an empire, but further conflicts with Amerindian tribes west of the Appalachians were already brewing. British taxpayers had paid a high price for fighting the War, and it was deemed justified that the colonists repay part of that money. In addition, maintaining a military presence in the colonies had to be paid for, as well.
Following a number of taxes on imports of sugar, coffee, textiles, and other goods, the British Parliament passed another new law in 1765 that was intended to raise money for the defense of the colonies:
“An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned.”

It said that the colonists had to buy special tax stamps and attach them to paperwork like newspapers, licenses, and legal documents like wills and mortgages. All the tax measures leading up to and culminating with the passage of the Stamp Act marked a clear break with the traditions that had established themselves in the colonies since the early years of the Virginia settlement; the right to elect representatives to decide the taxes they paid. They insisted that they could only be taxed by their own local assemblies. Since they were not represented in the British Parliament, they questioned its right to tax them. In response to the Stamp Act, representatives from the nine colonies met in New York to form the “Stamp Act Congress” in 1765. A big opposition of merchants and shopkeepers formed who refused to sell British goods until the Act was withdrawn. Britain was finally forced to repeal the Stamp Act, but it could not quell the colonists’ anger and dissatisfaction with British rule.

Heideking, Jürgen and Christof Mauch. ''Geschichte der USA''. Stuttgart: UTB, 2008.
O’Callaghan, Dennis Brynley. ''An Illustrated History of the USA''. Essex: Longman, 1990.
''An Act of Parliament Passed In the Sixth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King George the Third. 1766. An Act for Repealing Certain Duties In the British Colonies and Plantations ... and for Further Encouraging, Regulating and Securing, Several Branches of the Trade of the Kingdom, and the British Dominions In America.'' Boston: Printed by Richard and Samuel Draper, and Green and Russell, printers to the government., 1766.