The Limits of Protest in Colonial America:
The Stamp Act

Intended to raise funds to pay for the ongoing cost of defending the colonies, the Stamp Act of 1765 was widely unpopular in Britain’s North American colonies as well as the Caribbean. In Britain, public demonstrations of protest or celebration had long been recognized as a legitimate way for subjects, most of whom did not have the vote, to voice their political opinions. In late 1765, Stamp Act protests were organized in communities including Boston, New York, and Charleston (which was then called Charlestown or Charles Town), as well as in Nova Scotia (Canada) and Britain’s Caribbean colonies.

I. Sources

I have attached all the three sources to be utilized.

II. Topic

Comparing the three communities, the paper should develop an argument in response to one of the following topics. The first question in each set should become the basis of your argument; the supporting questions are intended to suggest ways to think about the evidence. You don’t have to attempt to answer all of the questions within a topic.

• Does there appear to have been an agreement within the British colonies about the limits of political protest?
o Did protestors attack people? Property? Homes? Did they use deadly force? What types of symbolic actions did they take, and why would these have been effective? Stepping back from the action, were there actions that they did not take?

III. Formatting and Citations

• Should be double-spaced, with 12-point Times New Roman font and one-inch margins.
• I am providing all three sources that you must utilize. They must be used for in-text citation

Footnoting Newspaper Articles (Chicago)

All of these articles are unsigned. The correct format for each is:

Events in the Caribbean:
“Philadelphia, November 28,” Pennsylvania Gazette, November 28, 1765.
Events in Charleston:
“South Carolina,” Pennsylvania Gazette, January 2, 1766.

Events in New York:
“New-York, November 4,” South Carolina Gazette; and Country Journal, December 17, 1765.

Multiple Works in One Footnote
When you refer to two or more works in a single sentence, combine the references in one footnote, listing them in the order in which they appear in sentence, and separating them from each other by a semi-colon.

In New York, protestors attacked the Deputy Governor’s coach, while in Charleston, they targeted the tax collector’s private home.