Liberty Asylum
Barbarous Relic 
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Liberty Asylum
Barbarous Relic
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By George
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Demagogue's Survival
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By George F. Smith After England announced its infamous Stamp Tax in 1765, most Americans seethed quietly and waited for the inevitable -- much like taxpayers today. But rebellious Britons had overcome a similar oppression two years earlier, and it served as an inspiration. In 1763, Parliament had decided to keep about eight thousand troops in the American colonies on the pretext of protecting the colonists. Many Americans resented the soldiers presence. As a partial means to fund this force, Parliament proposed a tax on cider, which was produced in England's West Country. Despite heated opposition, it became law, touching off massive protests. Inspired by John Wilkes, the people of West Country rose in rebellion, chanting Wilkes' slogan, "Liberty, Property, and No Excise!" Effigies of Prime Minister Lord Bute were set ablaze in bonfires. Most importantly, the people refused to pay the tax and harassed the tax collectors. Though the government tried to subdue the protests, Parliament relented two years later and repealed the tax. The failure of the cider tax left British leadership undeterred. They would simply shift the burden of supporting the army to the American colonists.
The Stamp Tax Approaches On March 8, 1765, the Stamp Bill became law, to take effect on November 1. For all printed transactions, colonists would have to buy officially stamped paper from the Crown's Board of Stamp Commissioners. Newspapers, pamphlets, dice, playing cards, wills, leases, deeds just about everything and everyone was affected. In addition, no newspaper or pamphlet could be published without the name of the printer or author, which worked to suppress critics of government policy. When news of the Stamp Act reached the colonies in April, most people fell into shocked silence. They hated it, but who were they to oppose the mighty British? Newspaper editors sent each other wooden shoes befitting their forthcoming status as slaves.
A Firebrand Speaks Out in Virginia On May 20, a new member took his seat in Virginia's House of Burgesses: the fiery lawyer and orator, Patrick Henry. In getting elected, Henry had spent more than eight pounds sterling seven pounds to buy 28 gallons of rum, the rest to carry it to the polls. Henry drafted five resolutions condemning the Stamp Act, then presented them to the House on May 29, coincidentally his 29th birthday. The older, more conservative members bristled. Who was this upstart and why was he trying to antagonize the ministry? When Henry ended his speech saying that some good American would do to George III what Brutus had done to Caesar, cries of treason were hurled against him. "If this be treason," Henry famously replied, "make the most of it." Henry eventually apologized, saying he was speaking from a passionate interest in "his country's dying liberty." After accepting his apology, the House passed his resolutions by a narrow margin. Henry's supporters offered two more resolutions, more radical and sharply-worded than the others, but both were soundly defeated. Believing his work finished, Henry headed home. The Old Guard, taking advantage of his absence, succeeded in rescinding all of the Resolves.
A Supreme Irony
Joseph Royle, editor of Virginia's only newspaper, was so offended by the resolutions that he refused to acknowledge them in print. But this didn't prevent them from wide distribution. Henry and his supporters fed them to other newspapers as if they had passed the House. The Resolves caught fire and spread throughout the colonies, awakening people to the possibility of action. On June 24, the Newport, Rhode Island Mercury became the first newspaper to print the Resolves, believing the House of Burgesses had passed all seven of them. The people were behind them, but only mass action could stop the Stamp Act. The question was, who would lead the protests?
Boston's Great Radical Many colonial radical leaders found the Resolves treasonable. But not Samuel Adams. In the early summer of 1765, Adams organized a diverse group of Bostonians called the Loyal Nine. Their job was to lead mob action against the royally-appointed stamp distributor in Massachusetts, Andrew Oliver. On August 14, a huge crowd marched on Oliver's new stamp distribution building, chanting "Liberty, Property and No Stamps!" They razed the building, then headed to Oliver's home and showered his house with stones. They left to burn him in effigy, and by the time they returned Oliver had escaped to a military post on the island of Castle William. Royal Governor Francis Bernard quickly followed. His efforts to summon the militia had failed, since the drummers were part of the crowd. Oliver resigned his post, and the other colonies eagerly followed Boston's example. In some cases, stamp masters quit before mob action got underway. England repealed the Stamp Act in March 1766. For years, the colonists celebrated August 14 as "a happy day, on which liberty arose from a long slumber." Will today's Americans someday celebrate a rebirth of liberty? Our colonists killed the Stamp Tax. Are we up to doing away with the income tax?
For Further Reading Langguth, A. J., Patriots: The Men Who Started the American Revolution, Touchstone Books, New York, 1988. Rothbard, Murray N., Conceived in Liberty, Vol. III Advance to Revolution, 1760-1775, Mises Institute, Auburn, AL, 1999. Next in State
Treachery
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Other Interesting Sites
Ron Paul's Classics of Libertarian Thought Greenspan's 1966 "Gold and Economic Freedom"
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