What was the stamp act and what were the colonists’ reactions?

The Stamp Act was approved by the British in 1765 imposing taxes on all American colonists requiring them to pay taxes represented by a stamp on every piece of printed paper they used. Legal documents, licenses, newspapers, publications, etc. Colonists reacted with boycotts, riots and attacks to tax collectors.  Although the Stamp Act occurred years before the Declaration of Independence, it was a critical  issue that provoked the American Revolution.