In 1764, after the Seven Years' War, Britain was in debt to the tune of over £129,586,789. In 1765, George Grenville wrote his Stamp Bill, which consisted of fifty-five resolutions to tax colonists to help pay Britain's national debt. Grenville introduced his bill on February 6, 1765, and Parliament passed the bill on the 17th of the same month. King George III implemented the Stamp Act after the House of Lords approved the bill in March. This and many other acts by Parliament to ensure control over the colonies would prove detrimental in the years that followed (Independence Hall Association, 2011). The Stamp Act was, according to Grenville (1765), "an act to grant and enforce certain stamp duties and other duties in the British colonies and plantations in America, in order to further defray the expenses incident to the defense, protection and securing them…” (para. 1). By taxing the colonies through the Stamp Act, Britain attempted to assert its control and authority over the colonists by making them pay taxes simply because they had Britain's protection. The Stamp Act covered many aspects of printed materials, and the newspaper was required to have an embossed revenue stamp from London, England (Ivester, 2009). The Stamp Act itself provided for strict penalties and fines for violations of the law, including death without the last rites (Grenville, 1765). The price of the Stamp Act was exceptionally high by colonial income standards, just as prices would still be high by today's standards. For example, the tax on dice, which was ten shillings in 1765, would be $54 today. The Stamp Act also provided for heavy fines for any violation of its law. A fine of £20 in 1765 would be harsh...... middle of paper......ndation. (2011). A summary of the Stamp Act of 1765. Accessed September 18, 2011, from http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfmIndependence Hall Association. (2011). The stamp law. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/rated/stampact.htm Ivester, H. (2009). The Stamp Act of 1765: a chance discovery. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.mitchellwilliamslaw.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1264420620StampAct.pdfSage, H.J. (2006). The question of representation: real and virtual. Accessed September 18, 2011, from http://www.academicamerican.com/revolution/topics/representation.htmSouth Carolina Department of Archives and History. (2009). Teaching American History in South Carolina. Retrieved September 18, 2011 from http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/StampActExcerpts.html