Each side of the obelisk portrayed the colonists’ struggles with the Stamp Act. Nevertheless, an obelisk made of wood was erected on the Boston Common as a celebration candles illuminated it from within. A view of the obelisk erected under the Liberty-Tree in Boston on the rejoicings for the repeal of the - Stamp-Act. Yet, on the same day, the Declaratory Act passed, setting firmly in place Parliament’s legal authority and supremacy over the colonies. A mere four months after its enactment, the Stamp Act was repealed on March 18, 1766. In mid-February 1766, Franklin appeared before the British House of Commons to speak in support of a repeal. The law became effective in November 1765 and Benjamin Franklin, then residing in London, received sharp criticism in part for his delayed rebuke of the measure. Colonists boycotted British goods and attacked the homes of tax collectors and supporters of the Act. London: Carington Bowles, 1766.Īmerican colonial protests began shortly after its passage, escalating into riots in the fall of 1765. The repeal, or, The funeral of Miss Ame-Stamp. The Clements Library owns three different versions of this print the original was so well received that many printmakers copied it. The repeal, or, The funeral procession of Miss Americ-Stamp (1766). In today’s society, it would be the same as paying $8.60 USD, in addition to the price of the deck.Ī popular satirical print celebrates the repeal of the Stamp Act.
However, such documents were not commonplace a pack of playing cards, found in many households, carried a one shilling tax. The tax ranged from three pence to two pounds for each individual sheet of parchment, vellum, or paper depending on the intended use for example, a certificate or diploma from an institution carried a two pound tax, the modern-day equivalent of $352.79 USD.
In March 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, a controversial taxation measure which forced colonists to purchase a British stamp for every paper product they obtained, including but not limited to newspapers, licenses, wills, deeds and playing cards.