Colonial Protest Intensify on the Stamp Act

The colonists protested in three different forms:
-Intellectual Protests- people wrote pamphlets, drafted resolutions, gave speeches and delivered sermons.
-Economic Boycotts- to abstain of buying or using British goods.
-Violent Intimidations- Angry mobs destroying tax collector's offices and houses.
This three forces combined made the Parliament to back down.

John Adams

John Adams- He was very impressed in the political surge in the colonies since he was a Massachusetts lawyer. Later he became the second President of USA.

   1. Enlightenment Ideas
Colonial Protest was based on the Liberty of the Enlightenment
Baron de Montesquieu and John Locke were some of the Enlightenment members who thought that every man was born with "divine rights"(Life,liberty, and property rights). Others of their thoughts was that the government had to protect their people otherwise the people can overthrow that government.
Patrick Henry, a young Virginia representative, was inspired in this Enlightenment Movement run a radical document called the Virginia Resolves which argued that the assemblies could tax the colonists.
May 30, 1765- The House of Burgesses adopted 4 of the 6 statements of the Virginia Resolves because the other two were too radical, but the newspaper printed all the Resolves making the thought that the whole document was accepted.

   2. Patriot Leaders Emerge

Sons Of Liberty

The colonists worked together to fight the Stamp Act and created a fragile American unity and called themselves as the Patriots as the rejected British taxes. Samuel Adams founded the association of "The Sons of Liberty".
In August 1765 an angry mob led by the Sons of Liberty tore down an office and house of a tax collector in Boston. The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson denounced the riots and said that colonists had the legal duty of paying taxes but a mob destroyed his house. By the end of the year, every tax collector in Boston resigned.
 
   3.Leaders Organize Boycotts
Colonists leaders opposed taxes and feared angry mobs, they thought it would be better to organize the rebels so 9 of the 13 colonies sent Delegates to The Stamp Act Congress in New York City in October 1765 to organize boycotts and protestant activities an example is the consumer boycott, women played an important role in this boycott since they made the clothes if they were not going to buy the British clothes the women were known as the Daughters of Liberty.
Finally the Stamp Act was repelled in 1766 even though the stubborn Parliament imposed other Acts for collecting more taxes.