Advanced Placement US History (AP US History) Practice Exam

The correct answer is the Stamp Act. This act, passed in 1765, was a significant legislative measure that aimed to raise revenue by taxing printed materials in the American colonies, including newspapers, legal documents, and other items. The imposition of the Stamp Act ignited widespread protests among colonists, who argued that they were being taxed without their consent, as they had no representation in the British Parliament. This principle of "no taxation without representation" became a rallying cry for the colonists, leading to organized resistance such as the formation of the Sons of Liberty and the broader push for greater self-governance and eventual independence from British rule. The other acts listed, while significant in their own rights, were not primarily reactions to the specific grievance of taxation without representation in the same direct manner as the Stamp Act. The Intolerable Acts were punitive measures implemented in response to the Boston Tea Party and aimed to suppress dissent. The Navigation Acts focused on regulating trade routes and colonial commerce to benefit Britain. The Tea Act was designed to assist the struggling British East India Company by allowing it to sell tea directly to the colonies, which contributed to tensions but didn't initially invoke the "no taxation without representation" argument like the Stamp Act did.