Stamp Act!

On March 22, 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act which called for tax stamps to be placed on all paper goods sold in the colonies. This represented the first attempt to levy a direct tax on the colonies and was met by fierce opposition and protests. Led by vocal orators such as James Otis and Patrick Henry, the colonists began a massive boycott of British goods causing colonial imports to fall from £2,250,000 in 1764, to £1,944,000 in 1765. In several colonies new protest groups, known as the "Sons of Liberty" formed. Most active in Boston, the Sons of Liberty attacked an admiralty court and looted the home of the chief justice.