The Speech of Mr. Pitt and Several Others, 1766

This speech given by William Pitt in Parliament on January 14, 1766 defending the colonists in their anger against the Stamp Act. Pitt believed the Stamp Act was completely illegal and violated the British Constitution because the colonists had no elected representatives in Parliament. Many in Parliament were defending the Stamp Act with the idea that the colonists were “virtually represented” by other elected officials, even though they hadn’t elected them themselves. As a result of this speech, Pitt became a hero in the eyes of the American colonists. This speech was one of several events that persuaded Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act in March, 1766. Side stitched as the per the original pamphlet.