State University of New York College at Buffalo - Buffalo State College Digital Commons at Buffalo State
History Theses History and Social Studies Education
5-2018 The tS amp Act: Revolutionary Resistance in New York Ryan L. Wagner State University of New York College at Buffalo - Buffalo State College, [email protected]
Advisor David A. Carson, Ph.D. First Reader David A. Carson, Ph.D. Second Reader Andrew D. Nicholls, Ph.D. Third Reader Kevin J. Miller, Ed.D. Department Chair Andrew D. Nicholls, Ph.D. Professor and Chair
To learn more about the History and Social Studies Education Department and its educational programs, research, and resources, go to http://history.buffalostate.edu.
Recommended Citation Wagner, Ryan L., "The tS amp Act: Revolutionary Resistance in New York" (2018). History Theses. 44. http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/history_theses/44
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/history_theses
Part of the United States History Commons The Stamp Act: Revolutionary Resistance in New York
Ryan L. Wagner, B.A.
ABSTRACT
Prior to the first battles of the American Revolution, the British Parliament imposed several duties on the American colonies to fund the expenses of the French and
Indian War, continued attacks on the American frontier, taxed American colonists to assist with British finances, and garrisoned troops throughout America. One of these duties, the American Stamp Act, was passed and enacted in early 1765 throughout the
North American British colonies. The correlation between battles, campaigns, and acts such as imposed duties, are all interrelated. Many historians traditionally view the colonial reaction to the Stamp Act as one singular political event or overshadowed by the battles fought in the war for American independence.1
This thesis has been written to examine the social and economic impact of the
American Stamp Act of 1765, and to investigate the enforcement practices and reactions of those affected by the act, specifically in the colony of New York, and its impact on the subsequent war for American independence. The materials utilized in this study include both primary and secondary sources. The secondary sources aim to ensure a rounded understanding of the Stamp Act and pre-Revolutionary thought, while primary sources have been examined to understand specific localities as issues surrounding the Stamp Act unraveled.
In this study, a more in-depth examination into the authority that enforced the
Act, the relationship, and interactions between those affected and those who collected the levy, the various motives of opposition, and the eventual formation of organized resistance and action within New York in the broader context of colonial America are explored.
1 Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (Cambridge: The Kelnap Press of Harvard University Press, 1967), 22-23. State University of New York College at Buffalo Department of History and Social Studies Education
The Stamp Act: Revolutionary Resistance in New York
A Thesis in History
by
Ryan L. Wagner, B.A.
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts May 2018
Approved by:
David A. Carson, Ph.D. Distinguished Service Professor Chairperson of the Committee/Thesis Advisor
Andrew D. Nicholls, Ph.D. Department Chair and Professor
Kevin J. Miller, Ed.D. Dean of the Graduate School
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ...... i TITLE PAGE ...... ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... iv INTRODUCTION ...... 1 CHAPTER 1: ENACTMENT...... 5 Post-War Problems ...... 5 The American Stamp Act ...... 12 Implementation and Collection ...... 15 CHAPTER 2: RESISTANCE THROUGH VIOLENCE ...... 31 Violence as a Political Tool ...... 31 Organized Resistance in Upstate New York ...... 34 Organiz