Stamp Act protest.
Stamp Act protest by William Bradford. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament in 1765 as a means of raising revenue to defray the cost of maintaining the military defenses of the American colonies. The Stamp Act required all legal documents, commercial contracts, newspapers, pamphlets, licenses, and even playing cards to carry a tax stamp. The Stamp Act created widespread opposition among the colonists, who argued that they could not legally be taxed without their consent, since they were not represented in Parliament.