Stamp Act 1765

In March 1765, the British parliament passed the Stamp Act, imposing a direct tax on the colonies. It required that legal papers, newspapers, cards and pamphlets be printed on specially taxed paper from London. The tax had to be paid in British currency, not colonial currency.

In response, 9 colonies convened the Stamp Act Congress in October 1765. They issued the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which set out 14 objections. These included:

• colonists owed to the Crown ‘the same allegiance’ owed by ‘subjects born within the realm’
• colonists owed to the parliament of Great Britain ‘all due subordination’
• colonists possessed all the rights of Englishmen
• trial by jury was a right
• the use of Admiralty Courts was abusive
• without voting rights, the British parliament could not represent the colonists
• there should be no taxation without representation
• only the colonial assemblies had a right to tax the colonies.

After petitions and Benjamin Franklin’s speech to parliament, the Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. But on the same day, parliament passed the Declaratory Act, asserting its authority to legislate for the colonies “in all cases whatsoever”.

The Treaty of Paris

Preamble.

Declares the treaty to be ‘in the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity’, states the bona fides of the signatories, and declares the intention of both parties to ‘forget all past misunderstandings and differences’ and ‘secure to both perpetual peace and harmony’.

1. Britain acknowledges the United States (New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) to be free, sovereign, and independent states, and that the British Crown and all heirs and successors relinquish claims to the Government, property, and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof;
2. Establishing the boundaries of the United States, including but not limited to those between the United States and British North America;
3. Granting fishing rights to United States fishermen in the Grand Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence;
4. Recognising the lawful contracted debts to be paid to creditors on either side;
5. The Congress of the Confederation will ‘earnestly recommend’ to state legislatures to recognise the rightful owners of all confiscated lands and ‘provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties, which have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects’ (Loyalists);
6. United States will prevent future confiscations of the property of Loyalists;
7. Prisoners of war on both sides are to be released; all property of the British army (including slaves) now in the United States is to remain and be forfeited;
8. Great Britain and the United States are each to be given perpetual access to the Mississippi River;
9. Territories captured by Americans subsequent to the treaty will be returned without compensation;
10. Ratification of the treaty is to occur within six months from its signing.

Eschatocol.

‘Done at Paris, this third day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-three.’

Five Counter-Measures Against the Barbarians (Fáng yí wŭ shì, 防夷五事)

Also known as the Vigilance towards Foreign Barbarian Regulations (Fángfàn wàiyí guītiáo, 防范外夷规条), these measures included:

1. Trade by foreign barbarians in Canton is prohibited during the winter.
2. Foreign barbarians coming to the city must reside in the foreign factories under the supervision and control of the Cohong.
3. Chinese citizens are barred from borrowing capital from foreign barbarians and from employment by them.
4. Chinese citizens must not attempt to gain information on the current market situation from foreign barbarians.
5. Inbound foreign barbarian vessels must anchor in the Whampoa Roads and await inspection by the authorities.

Activity 1: Representation and revolution

The American colonies revolted in part because they had no representation in the British Parliament.

1. Begin with a class discussion:
   • Why would the colonists have been angered by their lack of representation?
   • What benefits might they have gained by having a representative in the British Parliament?
2. Discuss the broader idea of political representation:
   • Why is it important for people to have a voice in government?
   • What are the risks when groups are excluded or under-represented?
3. Ask students to consider:
   • What could Britain have done differently to reduce the risk of revolution, while still maintaining administrative control?
   • Could compromise or reform have changed the outcome?
4. Extend the conversation with historical or modern parallels:
   • Can students identify other examples—past or present—of people who lacked representation?
   • Are there groups in Australia or other countries today with little or no voice in government?

Activity 2: Global impacts of the Enlightenment

The European Enlightenment was a powerful intellectual movement. Its ideas travelled far beyond Europe.

1. Ask students to choose a country or region outside of Europe.
2. Have them research and respond to the statement:
   “The European Enlightenment had repercussions for the world.”
3. Students should consider:
   • How Enlightenment ideas (such as individual rights, reason, liberty or scientific inquiry) may have influenced people, movements or institutions in that region.
   • Whether the impacts were positive, negative, or both.

Activity 3: Enlightenment timeline project

Students will work in groups to build a class timeline of key events and figures from the Enlightenment.

1. Divide the class into groups. Assign each group a focus area:
   • Key thinkers and philosophers
   • Scientific discoveries and inventions
   • Social or political revolutions
   • Conflicts or resistance to Enlightenment ideas
2. Ask each group to research and contribute:
   • 4 to 6 milestones for their area
   • A short explanation of why each item is significant
3. As a class, create a shared timeline (on paper or digitally).
4. Together, develop and apply criteria for inclusion:
   • What makes a person, idea or event influential or ‘worthy’ of inclusion?
   • How do we judge the long-term impact of an idea?