Question

ean papermaking came to the american colonies in the late seventeenth y. although most paper made today is produced from wood pulp, paper in ol days was made from cotton and linen fibers. from paper the history of paper offers insight into why the colonists wanted dependence from britain. a coin, a paper mill, a newspaper—whatever it as that the colonists wanted, the crown often prohibited it. and then the ttish tried to earn revenue by taxing the goods the colonists were forced import from england because local production was stifled. in 1764, the british, looking for revenues in an economic recession that d hit both england and the colonies, proposed the stamp act. this uired all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper, uding shipping documents, legal documents, books, pamphlets, wspapers, broadsides, and even playing cards. the tax did not cost the rage colonist a great deal, but they objected to the principle of the new slation. the stamp act went beyond the normal practice of regulating merce: it was a fund - raising measure, and one that was being done out the consent of local legislatures. but for newspaper publishers, the stamp act was a true hardship. it ssed a halfpenny on each copy of a newspaper printed on what was ed \half a sheet.\ if a newspaper used a larger format, it was assessed ny per copy. the act also charged two cents for an advertisement— ome of these ads only earned three cents—and a halfpenny for each of a pamphlet. an additional tax on publishing in foreign languages a thriving german - language press in pennsylvania. lawyers, whose nents were also taxed, were harmed by the stamp act as well, and er, newspaper publishers and lawyers led a successful campaign to this question has two parts. answer part a, and then answer part b. part a which statement best expresses a central idea of the passage? 1. paper was both expensive and scarce in the american colonies because the british taxed it so severely. 2. newspapers in the american colonies were the main force behind the boycott of imported british paper. 3. the use of rags to create paper was the primary cause of the shortage of paper in the american colonies. 4. the shortage of paper was a serious problem in the american colonies before and after the start of the war. part b select two excerpts from the passage that best help develop the correct central idea from part a. 1. \this required all american colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper,\ jaliyah hyman phillips, id#********40 growth: reading 6+ mi 2010 1.1

Explanation:

The passage discusses how the British taxed printed - paper items in the American colonies through the Stamp Act, which led to paper being expensive and scarce as local production was stifled. This supports the idea that paper was both expensive and scarce due to British taxation. For Part B, the statement about the tax on every piece of printed paper directly relates to the high cost and scarcity of paper.

Answer:

Part A: 1. Paper was both expensive and scarce in the American colonies because the British taxed it so severely.
Part B: 1. "This required all American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper."