They were gaining self-confidence and were becoming more and more unwilling to comply with colonial control, such as that of the matter of taxation. The seemingly inevitable conflict between the British and the French resultant of the competition for the dominance of North America was ended upon the agreement of peace following the culmination of the Seven Years" War with the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1763. Henceforth, Britain became the prime colonial power of the New World. However, there was still discontent of the American colonists for their treatment received from Britain by way of new laws and acts. .
The "Sugar Act" or "Revenue Act" was introduced by George Grenville and the act entailed three crucial steps. The first of which was to strengthen the Navigation System and bring an end to smuggling and general piracy as well as the tightening of the colonial judicial system to bring to justice more of the criminals partaking in such acts. The second of these steps was to "secure British markets for British planters" by extending upon the "Molasses Act" of 1733 whereby the taxes upon harvests from the Sugar Colonies (Jamaica and Barbados) were to be halved and heavily enforced so as to raise revenue for the British Empire. The third of Grenville's steps was to move beyond the colonial ports, where the taxes from the Sugar Act were to be collected, and deeper into the colonies and "into the heart of the American economy" . The result of this third step was the Stamp Act. .
The "Stamp Act" of 1765 was a measure taken by the British whereby all legal documentation, newspapers, playing cards, licenses, commercial contracts, and things such as advertisement pamphlets issued throughout the colonies were, by law, required to follow the British example of sporting a revenue stamp. The British reasoned that this was how New England was to contribute financially to the aftermath of the Seven Years" War.