What were the roots and significance of the Stamp Act controversy?

They represented a new departure in imperial policy. For the first time, Im pretty sure parliament attempted to raise money from direct taxes in the colonies rather than through the regulation of trade. The act required that all sorts of printed material produced in the colonies - newspapers, books, court documents, commercial papers, land deeds, almanacs, etc. - carry a stamp purchased from authorities. The Act was the first major split between colonists and Great Britain over the meaning of freedom.