<P> Colonial newspapers were a major source of public unrest after the passage of the Stamp Act . Some of the earliest forms of American propaganda appeared in these printings in response to the law . The articles written in colonial newspapers were particularly critical of the act because of the Stamp Act's disproportionate effect on printers . David Ramsay, a patriot and historian from South Carolina, wrote of this phenomenon shortly after the American Revolution: </P> <P> It was fortunate for the liberties of America, that newspapers were the subject of a heavy stamp duty . Printers, when influenced by government, have genereally arranged themselves on the side of liberty, nor are they less remarkable for attention to the profits of their profession . A stamp duty, which openly invaded the first, and threatened a great diminution of the last, provoked their united zealous opposition . </P> <P> Most printers were critical of the Stamp Act, although a few Loyalist voices did exist . Some of the more subtle Loyalist sentiments can be seen in publications such as The Boston Evening Post, which was run by British sympathizers John and Thomas Fleet . The article detailed a violent protest that occurred in New York in December, 1765, then described the riot's participants as "imperfect" and labeled the group's ideas as "contrary to the general sense of the people ." These Loyalists beliefs can be seen in some of the early newspaper articles about the Stamp Act, but the anti-British writings were more prevalent and seem to have had a more powerful effect . </P> <P> Many papers assumed a relatively conservative tone before the act went into effect, implying that they might close if it wasn't repealed . However, as time passed and violent demonstrations ensued, the authors became more vitriolic . Several newspaper editors were involved with the Sons of Liberty, such as William Bradford of The Pennsylvania Journal and Benjamin Edes of The Boston Gazette, and they echoed the group's sentiments in their publications . The Stamp Act went into effect that November, and many newspapers ran editions with imagery of tombstones and skeletons, emphasizing that their papers were "dead" and would no longer be able to print because of the Stamp Act . However, most of them returned in the upcoming months, defiantly appearing without the stamp of approval that was deemed necessary by the Stamp Act . Printers were greatly relieved when the law was nullified in the following spring, and the repeal asserted their positions as a powerful voice (and compass) for public opinion . </P>

How did the stamp act influenced american government