Lesson Plan: Overview

Academic Standards

Standard 4-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the conflict between the American colonies and England.

Historical Background Notes

Actually, America's fight for independence grew out of a long tradition of de-facto American independence. In other words, long before the French and Indian War, American colonies had already grown quite independent from Britain. By 1763, "certain fundamental American beliefs had become clear. From Massachusetts to Georgia, colonists aggressively defended the powers of the provincial assemblies. They drew on a rich legislative history of their own. Over the course of the century, the American assemblies had steadily expanded their authority over taxation and expenditure. Since no one in Britain bothered to clip their legislative wings, these provincial bodies assumed a major role in policymaking and routine administration. In other words, by mid-century the assemblies looked like American copies of Parliament" (The American Story). Actually, colonial independence served the cause of British Empire well as the assemblies in the various colonies took care of local concerns. However, a growing controversy over sovereignty created an ever-widening rift between Britons and Americans. Who was ultimately sovereign in governing the colonies-was it Parliament or the colonial assemblies? Before 1763 the sovereignty debate didn't really matter for practical purposes. Again, Parliament was all too happy to let the assemblies govern themselves, and minister to local matters. Moreover, during the first half of the sixteenth century, Parliament did not strictly enforce revenue collections. After 1763, however, British Parliament began to assert its sovereignty. Simply put, the French and Indian War cost big bucks, and Parliament proclaimed its sovereignty in governing the colonies. Essentially, Parliament asserted its sovereign right to tax American colonists in order to help pay a national debt "so huge that more than half the annual national budget went to pay the interest on it" (The American Story). The British passed a series of taxes and regulatory acts aimed at raising revenue and flexing parliamentary muscle. British acts included the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act, the Declaratory Act, Townshend Acts, the Tea Act, the Coercive or Intolerable Acts, and the Prohibitory Act. Click on Parliament Acts and Colonial Responses for a summary of events leading up to the American Revolution.

Of particular interest is Parliament's Stamp Act, and ensuing colonial response. On March 22, 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, aimed at generating revenue from the colonies. The Stamp Act stipulated that all official printed documents must be recorded on "special stamped paper" purchased from British stamp distributors. Deeds to property, marriage licenses, playing cards, newspapers, all such documents must be printed on stamped paper (The American Story). Earlier, when Parliament enacted the Sugar Act only wealthy colonists were affected. The Stamp Act on the other hand impacted most every facet of colonial life, affecting all classes of colonial Americans. All those years prior to the French and Indian War Americans had governed themselves and taxed themselves without interference from Parliament. Now things were changing, and the colonists didn't like it. In response, representatives from nine of 13 colonies convened in New York for the Stamp Act Congress, and drafted resolutions to be shared with the King and parliament. On return from the Stamp Act Congress, the South Carolina House of Commons met, and approved resolutions stating South Carolina's response to the Stamp Act. At the heart of South Carolina's response to the Stamp Act was an adamant commitment to "no taxation without representation." The idea that Parliament could enact taxes without colonial Representation was abhorrent to Americans.

The Stamp Act Congress was particularly important for several reasons. Significantly, the Stamp Act Congress demonstrated growing colonial unity. The Stamp Act Congress was also important in its appeal to all Americans, not just wealthy colonials. Perhaps most important, the Stamp Act and the colonial response agitated the sovereignty issue. If Parliament was in fact sovereign to rule the empire as it saw fit, then it could tax American colonists with or without direct representation. The colonial response to the Stamp Act emphasized the American view of parliamentary sovereignty-namely, Parliament was not sovereign to enact colonial taxes without direct colonial representation. For Americans, the Stamp Act was unconstitutional because Parliament taxed British subjects who never had the opportunity to vote on the matter.