Declaratory Act

Historical Context Note

Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

Domains

Legislation (Bills, Acts, Laws ...)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1766-03-18

Places

United Kingdom (Location)
United States (Location)

In March 1766, the British ministry of Rockingham mollified the recalcitrant American colonists by repealing the previous year's Stamp Act (see separate entry). This was in recognition of the fact that the new duties and taxes were politically dangerous and expensive to enforce; and that the consequent boycott of British products by colonists had “consequences greatly detrimental to the commercial motives of this kingdom”. However, the Declaratory Act that was passed on the same day insisted that the “colonies and plantations in America have been, are, and of right ought to be, subordinate unto, and dependent upon the imperial crown and parliament of Great Britain”. The Declaratory Act formally arrogated to the British monarch …

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267 words

Citation: Seager, Nicholas. "Declaratory Act". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 03 February 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=260, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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Declaratory Act

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