Virginia Stamp Act Resolves

What it is

This document contains the resolutions Patrick Henry introduced in the Virginia House of Burgesses on May 29, 1765, in response to Britain's Stamp Act. They declared that Virginians held the same rights as subjects in Great Britain and that only their own representatives could tax them.

Why it matters

These resolutions launched Henry's reputation as one of the boldest colonial voices against Parliament's authority, years before the Revolution began. They show how colonists used the language of British rights and royal charters to resist taxation, laying groundwork for arguments that would later justify independence.

Look closer

• What earlier sources of authority, such as royal charters, does the document appeal to?
• Why might arguing from British tradition have been a powerful strategy in 1765?
• What does this document not yet say about independence from Britain?