The Stamp Act 1765, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper from London which included an embossed revenue stamp. Printed materials included legal documents, magazines, playing cards, newspapers, and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies, and it had to be paid in British currency, not in colonial paper money. The Stamp Act created a direct tax of one penny per sheet on newspapers and required that the newspapers be printed on stamped paper purchased from government agents. New Hampshire Gazette Burning of Stamp Act, Boston.