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Revolutionary Period really began on March 22, 1765, when on that date the British Parliament passed its obnoxious Stamp Act to take effect on November 1 of that year. By this act, newspapers published in the colonies were scheduled to pay a halfpenny tax for one half-sheet or less and a one-penny tax for anything over one half -sheet, but not exceeding one whole sheet "for every printed copy thereof." Any advertisement inserted in their columns must, according to the terms of the act, pay a duty of two shillings. The newspaper taxes imposed by the Provincial Legislatures had been paid without a great deal of protest, but colonial printers fought this act, not only because they were opposed to taxation without representation, but also because they feared that subscribers and advertisers would not be willing to pay the increased cost of production. In self-defense the newspapers, even those still loyal to the Crown, united in a spirit of cooperation against the act: legislators were advised to "take good care of the freedom of the press," and the columns of the newspapers reproduced lively discussions on "the rights of the people" in the matter of taxation. Distinguished patriots, acting as occasional contributors to the press, changed editorial policies from static to dynamic influences.

While a few of the newspapers in America did actually suspend publication on account of the Stamp Act, most of them simply threatened to do so and then went ahead and brought out their issues with or without their regular official titles. For two or three weeks after the act went into effect several newspapers appeared with such heads as "No Stamped Paper To Be Had," "Recent Occurrences," etc. In Philadelphia The