Stamp Act: Questions
Stamp Act: Questions
- How does the outrage over the Stamp Act inform the modern debate over the legitimacy of taxation? What's the role of taxation in government?
- Had the Stamp Act merely paid for past defense in the Seven Years War/French and Indian War, rather than paid for a new garrison of redcoats, would it have been received better?
- Was the Stamp Act a legitimate reason for Revolution or a convenient excuse? Was it both?
- Had the tax been for smaller amounts of money, would it have been received better? Or was the problem the mere existence of the tax?
- Did the British crown have the authority to tax the colonies? If so, were the colonies wrong to rebel? If not, what kind of authority did the crown have?
- The Stamp Act was designed to pay for a new defense force: that is, regular British troops (redcoats) in the colonies. Was this really to fight against Native Americans, or was this an attempt to quell rebellion on the horizon?