Legal Commentary

The Stamp Act

By David Kopel

Received the Royal Assent and thereby became law on this day, in 1765. A spontaneous citizen movement, reinforced by state governments carrying out their duties to protect the constitutional rights and liberties of their citizens, mobilized to oppose the Stamp Act. They were told by their betters that repeal would never take place, and that they might as well accept what had been imposed. Although they succeeded in having the Stamp Act repealed, rather than just modified, Parliament came back a few years later with the Tea Act?which of course led to the activists getting the ?Tea Party? name. The first Tea Party and its state government allies did not surrender, and eventually they prevailed. I don?t think that their 21st-century descendants will cease their efforts until they too have succeeded.

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on March 22, 2010 (boomark / email).