This act was passed to assert the authority of the British government to tax its subjects in North America after it repealed the much-hated Stamp Act. 360 Adams Street, Room 123 Brooklyn, NY 11201 347-296-1740 Hours of Operation: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays am - pmOn March 22, 1765, the British Parliament passed the "Stamp Act" to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years' War. The first official action against the Stamp Act came from the Virginia House of Burgesses on May 29th, 1765. On March 22, 1765, Parliament required colonists to pay taxes on every page of printed paper they used. The Stamp Act was enacted on November 1, 1765. The colonists greeted the arrival of the stamps with violence and economic retaliation. That was enough to take the air out of the opposition. But at the same time it passed the Declaratory Act, which stated that the King and Parliament had full legislative authority over the colonies in all matters. Parliament, desiring revenue from its North American colonies, passed the first law specifically aimed at raising colonial money for the Crown.