Facing fierce resistance and economic boycotts from American colonists who declared 'no taxation without representation,' Parliament repealed the Stamp Act of 1765. The victory emboldened colonial resistance movements, but Parliament simultaneously passed the Declaratory Act, asserting its full authority to legislate for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever,' setting the stage for a decade of escalating conflict.
The Stamp Act had required colonists to pay a tax on virtually every piece of printed paper they used, from newspapers and legal documents to playing cards, with the added indignity that the tax had to be paid in scarce British sterling rather than colonial currency. It was the first direct, internal tax Parliament had ever levied on the American colonies, and it ignited immediate fury.
Colonial assemblies, merchant boycotts, and mob actions organized by groups like the Sons of Liberty made the law virtually unenforceable within months. British merchants, watching American orders for their goods evaporate, added their own pressure on Parliament to reverse course.
William Pitt the Elder argued forcefully in Parliament for repeal, and on March 18, 1766, the Act was rescinded. Colonists celebrated wildly, erecting statues to Pitt and King George III. But few noticed, or took seriously enough, the accompanying Declaratory Act, which insisted Parliament's authority over the colonies remained total and unquestionable. That unresolved tension would fester for another decade before erupting into revolution.
Key people: King George III, William Pitt