Disregarding American protests that the colonists could not be taxed because they were not represented in Parliament, in March 1765 the British government enacted a stamp tax to take effect in the American colonies on November 1, 1765. Speaking against the proposed Stamp Act in the House of Commons, Isaac Barré had described the Americans as "Sons of Liberty" who would stead-fastly resist any assault on their liberties.

Protesting the Stamp Act

Although the term "Sons of Liberty" did not become commonplace until December 1765 and although not all Americans actively opposed Britain's new imperial policies, Barré was right about the general colonial response to the Stamp Act. Open defiance started in Boston when nine men, most of whom were middle-class shopkeepers or manufacturers, devised a plan to force the designated stamp distributor, Andrew Oliver, to resign. If Oliver resigned, the Stamp Act could not be implemented. Having...