The Stamp Act Resolutions and Declaratory Act

WRITING ASSIGNMENT # 2A: The Stamp Act Resolutions and Declaratory Act
Name:Marlene Lorente

After the British success in the French and Indian War, relations between the colonists and the mother country started to deteriorate. Britain’s attempt to tighten control over its colonial empire and to finance its administration by imposing new taxes, aroused American resentment. Colonial opposition to British policies eventually led to armed resistance.
INSTRUCTIONS
• Review the relevant sections in Chapter 6.
• Read the following documents:
Document 1: The Stamp Act Resolutions
I. That His Majesty’s subjects in these colonies owe the same allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain that is owing from his subjects born within the realm, and all due subordination to that august body the Parliament of Great Britain.

II. That His Majesty’s liege subjects in these colonies are intitled to all the inherent rights and liberties of his natural born subjects within the kingdom of Great Britain.

III. That it is inseparably essential to the freedom of a people, and the undoubted right of Englishmen, that no taxes be imposed on them but with their own consent, given personally or by their representatives.

IV. That the people of these colonies are not, and from their local circumstances cannot be, represented in the House of Commons in Great Britain.

V. That the only representatives of the people of these colonies are persons chosen therein by themselves, and that no taxes ever have been, or can be constitutionally imposed on them, but by their respective legislatures. . . .

Document 2: The Declaratory Act of 1766
Whereas several of the houses of representatives in his Majesty’s colonies and plantations in America have of late, against law, claimed to themselves or to the general assemblies of the same, the sole and exclusive right of imposing duties or taxes upon his Majesty’s subjects in the said colonies and plantations; and have, in pursuance of such claim, passed certain votes, resolutions, and orders, derogatory to the legislative authority of parliament, and inconsistent with the dependency of said colonies and plantations upon the crown of Great Britain: . . . be it declared . . . That the said colonies and plantations in America have been, are, and of right ought to be subordinate unto the dependent upon the imperial crown and parliament of Great Britain; and that the King’s majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal and commons of Great Britain in parliament assembled, had, hath, and of right ought to have full power and authority to make laws and statutes of sufficient force and validity to bind the colonies and people of America, subjects of the crown of Great Britain, in all cases whatsoever.
If you are interested in reading the Resolutions transcript full transcript of the Declaratory Act, you will find them on the previous page.
As you read each document identify and be prepared to discuss the information that addresses the following points. Keep in mind that answering the following questions does not constitute an essay. This information must be incorporated into your essay.
Document 1 is an extract from the Resolutions that were passed by the Stamp Act Congress in 1765. Note, these are not the Virginia Resolves presented by Patrick Henry to the Virginia assembly, although reading and comparing the two may help you in your discussion. You are being asked to “Note the line of argument.”
• In order to do this you must examine each statement separately and determine what the colonist are proposing/arguing.
• The next step is to identify how each statement that follows is related to the preceding statement. How are they being used to validate/argue for the view, opinion, or rationale being presented in each statement.
Document 2 is an excerpt from the Declaratory Act of 1766, passed by Parliament.
• Note the tone of the document. According to their statements, what is the relationship that exists between the crown and the colonies?
• What are they prepared to do to enforce that relationship?
PREPARE AND SUBMIT:
Write a well organized essay, a minimum of 700 words (but not limited to), including supporting details from the documents/textbook/other sources in which you analyze and discuss the material that has been assigned by addressing the following questions:
A. Discuss the main arguments that the colonists are presenting to Parliament, how they support those arguments, and how these resolutions reflect the attitudes toward local affairs developed during the preceding century.
B. Disucss how Parliament refutes American claims, and how the Declaratory Act reflects the English view on the nature of empire, as opposed to the view held by most colonists.
REMINDERS:
• Paragraphs in an essay are not numbered. Any questions that are associated with an assigned reading are there to serve as a guide for your discussion.
• Your discussion should incorporate all of the information from the documents and or textbook, and outside sources as one essay.
• Students are encouraged to research and incorporate into their discussions additional sources that relate to the content. Recommendations can be found in at the end of textbook chapter in Additional Reading. Please keep in mind that WIKIPEDIA is not an acceptable reference.
• All statements must be supported and all sources must be identified and cited, and included in your reference list. This also applies to the textbook. Failure to do so constitutes Plagiarism, and the college has strict policies and penalties for failure to comply. Under the Resources tab you will find links to sites that review how to format a paper or essay. I recommend that students use APA or Chicago Style to format their essay. Students should ask their instructor which format style they prefer you to use.
• Proofread your work. Make sure that you have looked for all of the spelling and grammatical errors and corrected them, and that you have organized your work into coherent paragraphs.
• Prepare the assignment as a Word Document, double-spaced and using a standard font of 12 points.
• Submit it in the Dropbox as an ATTACHMENT. Any work that is submitted directly into the box will be graded as a 0.
Point Value: 100
Grading Criteria:
• Analysis and discussion. (60%)
• Support of discussion (30%)
• Organization. (10%)
Reminder: All written work must comply with standard English rules, such as proper capitalization, grammar and spelling. The assignment must be submitted by the deadline listed in the calendar.

Note: Even though you will see a statement giving you the option of copy/paste or file attachment, please disregard this statement. You are required to attach the assignment in MS Word format.