Stamp Act is adopted in London.

Because of the illness of King George III, after it is approved by Parliament it is signed by the king’s commissioners. The first British law to impose a direct tax without consent of the various colonial legislatures, it is described as “an act for granting and applying certain Stamp Duties, and other Duties, in the British Colonies and Plantations in America, towards further defraying the Expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same. . . ” It requires the purchase of government stamps for legal documents, newspapers, glass paper, lead, and other items sold in the Colonies. Although scheduled to go into effect on September 29, 1764, it actually does go into effect on November 1, 1765, prompting demonstrations and a boycott of goods from England which leads to food shortages during the winter. The law is repealed in 1766.*