patrick henry was the most vocal colonist against the stamp act of 1765.
most vocal colonist against the stamp act of 1765?
patrick henry
fauquier dissolved the burgesses on june 1, 1765, hoping new elections would purge the radicals, but this proved not to be the case, as conservative leaders were instead voted out. the governor did not call the burgesses into session until november 1766, by which time the stamp act had been repealed by parliament, preventing virginia from sending delegates to the stamp act congress in new york. henry's role in the active resistance that took place in virginia against the stamp act is uncertain. although the lack of a legislative session sidelined henry during the crisis, it also undermined the established leaders of the chamber, who remained scattered through the colony with little opportunity to confer, as the public rage for change grew hotter.
patrick henry
representatives from a number of the thirteen colonies assembled as the stamp act congress in response to the stamp act 1765, to call into question the right of a distant power to tax them without proper representation. the british parliament was then faced with colonies who refused to comply with their act. this, combined with protests that had occurred in the colonies and, perhaps more importantly, protests which had arisen in great britain from manufacturers who were suffering from the colonies' non-importation agreement, all led to the repeal of the stamp act. normally the economic activity in the colonies would not have caused such an outcry, but the british economy was still experiencing a post-war depression from the seven years' war. another reason for repeal of the stamp act was the replacement of george grenville, the prime minister who had enacted the stamp acts, by charles watson-wentworth, 2nd marquess of rockingham. rockingham was more favorable towards the colonies and furthermore he was antagonistic towards policies that grenville had enacted. rockingham invited benjamin franklin to speak to parliament about colonial policy and he portrayed the colonists as in opposition to internal taxes (which were derived from internal colonial transactions) such as the stamp act called for, but not external taxes (which were duties laid on imported commodities). parliament then agreed to repeal the stamp act on the condition that the declaratory act was passed. on march 18, 1766, parliament repealed the stamp act and passed the declaratory act.
declaratory act