Jayna VanStone
September 18th 2014
Period #2 I.S. V
Primary Source Analysis 1763-1783
In the primary source below, the journal talks about a law being put into place into the colonies by the crown in London. This law was called the stamp act, which was a very big deal during the colonial times of the Americans. Before talking about any detail of the act itself, the journal talks about how each British person who travelled from England has a duty and a responsibility to the crown. I think that this create the feeling that each person must be loyal to the origin, in this case most of them came from England, so they’re expected to pay their dues and respects back to their government that they started out with. The peculiar thing is that the majority of people who generally travelled to the new world were either given a deal or they were trying to escape the grasps of English laws and systems. Basically, they were in the new world to seek out their own individualism and freedom, which is why they left England in the first place, so this journal probably agitated some of the people living in the new world for this reason. In the rest of the document it does mention the new taxes, but it feels as though the British government is trying to cover up the small taxes by saying in longer forms that the people in the new world must obey their government and that they must stay loyal to the king. This makes it harder for the people to see what’s actually going on and that they must agree to this new tax law.
Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress (1765)
Primary source: "The Journal of the [Stamp Act] Congress, 1765."
Caption: After the conclusion of the Seven Years War (1756–63) between England and France, the British Parliament approved the Stamp Act, a measure to raise revenue to pay for British troops in the American colonies. The following are excerpts from the proceedings of the Stamp Act Congress on October 19, 1765.
[. . . ]

The Members of this Congress sincerely devoted with the warmest Sentiments, of Affection and Duty to his Majesty's Person & Government inviolably attached to the present happy Establishment of the Protestant Succession, and with Minds deeply impressed by a Sense of the present, and impending Misfortunes of the British Colonies on this Continent, having Considered as Maturely as time will permit, the Circumstances of the said Colonies esteem it our indispensable Duty to make the following Declarations of Our Humble Opinion respecting the most essential Rights, and Liberties of the Colonists, and of the Grievances, under which they labour, by Reason of Several late Acts of Parliament.

1st 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.

2d That his Majesty's liege Subjects in these Colonies are entitled to all the Inherent Rights and liberties of his Natural Born Subjects, within the Kingdom of Great Britain.

3d That it is inseparably essential to the Freedom of a People, and the Undoubted Right