Posted on 06/15/2009 6:39:32 PM PDT by devane617
Recently, with the Tea Parties taking center stage, I revisited my very old and dusty history books to take a look at that period of our history. Stepping back in time a few years to 1765 we have the incident that I feel was one of our major pivot points in history: The Stamp Act of 1765.
From what I can find, the taxes that were to be levied via the required tax stamps were inconsequential if you consider the downside to not going along with England. The stamps were required on documents, so probably did not affect the common man. Yet, it started an uprising that probably led to the revolution and independence.
Why? What was it that stirred the people at that time?
The colonies lacked representation at the time and had little say in their governance, so maybe that was it. England's rule was 'czar' like to the people--much like we see from the current admin. Whatever occurred, it stirred the passions of the people that were already facing hard times.
I certainly hope one of our learned scholars can give me a quick lecture on the subject. Are there comparisons we can draw with today's czar like rule? Could the people be stirred once again to demand change?
Although different from taxation, I think one could see parallels with government taking over a major corporation and then sending letters to car dealerships saying that they will be closed. How can a politician take away my livelihood? Who voted for that?? It’s like a law was passed. It’s not like I can petition my local representative and try to plead my case — the car czar says my business is over, and that’s that.
“From what I can find, the taxes that were to be levied via the required tax stamps were inconsequential...”
What brought you to that conclusion? Everything I’ve read has quite the opposite conclusion.
later
The Stamp Act of 1765
The act placed a tax on virtually every paper transaction. Marriage certificates, ships’ papers, legal documents, newspapers, even playing cards and dice. Worse, the act raised the terrifying threat that if paper documents were subject to government taxation and control, how long before Puritan, Baptist, Quaker, and Methodist religious tracts or even Bibles came under oversight by the state? To assume as much was not unrealistic, and certainly Sam Adams argued that this was the logical end-point. “The Stamp-Act itself was contrived with a design only to inure the people to the habit of contemplating themselves as slaves of men, and the transition from thence to a subjection to Satan, is mighty easy.”
Hostility to the new act ran far deeper that its narrow impact on newspapers, however. An often overlooked component of the policies involved the potential for EVER-EXPANDING HORDES OF ADMINISTRATORS AND DUTY COLLECTORS in the colonies. Had the pecuniary burdens been completely inconsequential, the colonists still would have protested the INSIDIOUS, INVASIVE PRESENCE OF AN ARMY OF ROYAL BUREAUCRATS AND CUSTOMS OFFICIALS. Several organizations were formed for the specific purpose of harassing stamp agents, many under the name of Sons of Liberty. They engaged in violence and intimidation of English officials, destroying the stamps and burning the Boston house of the lieutenant governor, Thomas Hutchinson. SYMPATHETIC COLONIAL JURIES THEN REFUSED TO CONVICT MEMBERS OF THE SONS OF LIBERTY, demonstrating that the colonists saw the economic effects as nil, but the political ramifications as substantial.
The above was just a bit of what you can find in this book:
A Patriot’s History of the United States - Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen
(CAPS are mine.)
Yep, LS was the first source I thought to check too.
I always turn to Patriot’s History to counteract the bilge from leftists weaned on People’s History.
Amazon sells the paperback for $14.93 and there are some used hardcovers for $22 - 120. Last Christmas Borders had a stack of the hardcovers for $4.99 and I bought the entire lot and gave them as Christmas gifts.
Ok, my limited brain capacity regarding history brings me to the same conclusion regarding our current crisis--as I see it--in America today. Are we approaching another pivot point in history that will see an uprising with the patriots of today? I see parallels that make me consider we are in for another revolt in the not so distant future.
if obama was alive i bet he would support the stamp act.....
I agree. I feel he would be a stamp collector for Parliament.
Another parallel of history. I do not see the people staying quiet forever.
Hence, my use of the CAPS.
And always remember, jury nullification is your friend.
Fully Informed Jury Association
http://fija.org/
Not necessarily. A jury that decides to ignore the law can just as easily convict you because you are the wrong skin color or belief system as acquit you. A very dangerous two-edged sword.
How to load a musket:
powder
newspaper wad
shot (most muskets were used as shotguns)
newspaper wad
You do the math. An ammo tax, or for a colonist, a food tax on sources of protein.
I agree, if there is to be trouble, let it be in my day so that my children will have peace. Apologies to Thomas Paine if the quote is wonky.
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The French and Indian War ended in 1763; New York City was the North American base for the British Command, and after the war, they pulled out.
The Brit pull-out had a devastating effect on the economy of NYC, and a depression ensued; remember, NYC was then--as it is now--a commercial center. When insult was added to injury with the Stamp Act, outrage led to the Stamp Act Congress. Between 1765 and 1770, revolutionary activity centered in NYC; after that, it moved to Boston (see The Battle of Golden Hill.
As far as its relevance to now, all I can say is that overtaxing can always have consequences.
Thank you for raising the point, devane617.
Sorry—I forgot to thank SunkenCiv for the ping. Thanks!
I think the bottom line was they felt that England and the Parliament was guiding their destiny and they had no say-so in their own direction. The parallel I draw to today is that we the people will tire of the Obama-Czar model and eventually feel out of control of 'our' own destiny. Obviously, not everyone will challenge Obama--even the colonists had loyalist--but if congress starts to seriously question the balance of power issue, we could certainly see enough folks get upset enough to bring about change.
Revolution? I doubt it will go that far, but if we tip the patriots in the right direction we could see a drastic revolt at the polls during the next two elections. The question is: will Obama keep pressing his agenda until the people decide to make changes. I suspect that is a question that is being debated in the WH daily.
"Anxious, that is, for people -- and specifically for his conservative critics -- to know he isn't the heavy-handed meddler some suspect. "I think the irony … is that I actually would like to see a relatively light touch when it comes to the government," he said Tuesday in a White House interview."
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