What Was the Purpose of the Stamp Act Congress?
The purpose of the Stamp Act Congress was to plan a protest against the recently passed law called the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act Congress, also known as the First Congress of the American Colonies, convened in 1765 in New York. Nine delegates from the Thirteen Colonies attended the meeting.
The delegates who attended the convention drafted a document known as the Declaration of Rights and Grievances that outlined the delegates’ beliefs that the British Parliament did not have the power to impose laws on the colonists without their consent or representation. The actions of the Stamp Act Congress and protests from British merchants whose businesses had suffered from the colonists’ refusal to pay taxes on imported goods ultimately led to Parliament passing the Declaratory Act. This act stated that Parliament could not make laws that applied to the American colonies. In addition, the Stamp Act was repealed.
The cause of the formation of the Stamp Act Congress — the Stamp Act was passed in 1765. The act required colonists to print materials such as newspapers and legal documents on stamped paper produced in England. Colonists were required to pay a tax on the paper in British currency. The revenue from the Stamp Act was intended to pay for British troops stationed in the colonies.
