Document Analysis DBQ Objective: Students will learn how the Stamp Act affected colonists.
Related benchmarks:
SS.8.A.3.2 Explain American colonial reaction to British policy from 1763 - 1774. .
SS.8.A.3.5 Describe the influence of individuals on social and political developments during the Revolutionary era.
SS.8.A.3.6 Examine the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution.

Essential Question/Guiding question
Was it fair for the British to tax the colonists? Why or why not?

Task Directions

Today you will look at documents (sources) to determine how the Stamp Act impacted the colonists.

For this assignment, you will read one document at a time and answer text-dependent questions.

Documents on the Stamp Act

Document A—The Stamp Act (excerpts) passed by Parliament on March 22, 1765
AN ACT for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying (to pay) the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, . . .
For every . . . sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be . . . written, or printed:

Item taxed Amount of Tax
. . . any . . . pleading in any court. . . . 3 pence
. . . any copy of any will. . . . 6 pence
. . . any . . . certificate of any degree taken in any university, academy, college, or seminary of learning. . . 2 pounds
. . . any . . . deed. . . . 3 pence
. . . any pleading in an admiralty court 1 shilling
. . . bill of lading (document used to transport goods) to be signed for goods exported 4 pence
. . . And for and upon every pack of playing cards, 1 shillings
and all pair of dice. . . . 10 shillings
. . . And for and upon every paper, commonly called a pamphlet, and upon every newspaper. . . .
(Varied depending upon the number of pages) ½ to less than full sheet ½ pence
1-6 sheets would be 1 shilling per sheet
. . . For every advertisement to be contained in any . . . newspaper . . . 2 shillings
. . . For every . . . calendar or almanac . . .
(Depended on how often it was printed) 4 pence
**Note: 1 pound equals about $200 today/20 shillings equals a pound/1 shilling would equal about $10.00/12 pence equals 1 shilling/1 pence equals about 80 cents

Document A Analysis—remember to paraphrase from the documents
1. What is the source of the document? Is it a primary or secondary source? Explain.

2. What was the purpose of the Stamp Act, according to the document?

3. A colonist purchased a pair of dice, a 4 page newspaper, and placed an ad to sell a product in a newspaper. How much in today’s money would that have cost?

Document B: Taxation in Colonial America by Alvin Rabushka

Year National Debt Government Revenue Government Spending
1739 £46,954,623 £5,820,000 £5,210,000
1748 £78,293,313 £7,199,000 £11,943,000
1755 £74,571,849 £6,938,000 £7,119,000
1762 £146,682,844 £9,459,000 £20,040,000
1775 £135,943,051 £11,112,000 £10,365,000
Source: Alvin Rabushka, Taxation in Colonial America, 725. Princeton University Press, 2008.

Alvin Rabushka is the David and Joan Traitel Senior Fellow (emeritus) at the Hoover Institution. He is an expert on taxation. His books and articles on the flat tax, with Hoover fellow Robert Hall, have provided the foundation for numerous tax reform bills. His book Taxation in Colonial America released by (Princeton University Press, 2008), won the Fraunces Tavern Museum Special Recognition Book Award in 2009.

British debt doubled as a result of the French and Indian War. The annual cost of maintaining the British army in the thirteen colonies before the war was £13,000. The additional 15 battalions (large number of troops) in North America after the war increased the cost to £220,000. Interest on the debt was £4.4 million per year so just paying the interest concerned King George III and Parliament. The colonies opposed paying for their own defense so Parliament passed a tax to raise revenue to make the colonists provide for their common defense. The tax was called the Stamp Act because it required a stamp to be placed on all printed materials purchased throughout the thirteen colonies. The total amount intended to be raised by the new tax was £60,000 per year, this is not even 20% of the total amount required to maintain the troops.

Document B Analysis—Study the chart and reading to answer the questions. Remember to paraphrase.
1. What is the source of the document? Is it a primary or secondary source? Explain.

2. How did the French and Indian War impact British debt?

3. What was the exact difference in pounds in the debt between 1755 and 1762?

4. How much did it cost to keep British troops in the colonies after the war?