Tenth Amendment Center: From the Stamp Act to the Tea Party: What the Old Revolutionaries Can Teach us for Today
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Before today’s big update – a handful of important videos and a short article – a quick reminder: TAC is in the middle of an absolutely crucial time – and we need your help to continue the strong momentum we’ve built in the last 3 years.
As I type this, we’re already at almost 80% of our fundraising goal for the end of the year. Will you help push us over the top? You can do that here: http://tenthamendmentcenter.com/donate
Now, on to today’s update.
Although we emailed you last Friday about Bill of Rights Day, the following day was another incredibly important one in American history: The Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
Unfortunately, modern historians have not done a good job on that event, almost treating it like an isolated act of rebellion instead of years of actions and correspondence. In fact, until at least the 1960s or so, the “progressive school” of history suggested that we totally ignore the views and works of old revolutionaries like Samuel Adams and James Otis. There’s even an entire book dedicated to this, Samuel Adams: Pioneer in Propaganda.
But understanding what led to that event – and even the Revolution in the following years – helps us better grasp what the Founding generation was trying to do with the Articles of Confederation, and then the Constitution for the United States.
We can also learn a great deal about general principles and nullification strategy for today too.
For example, much of our expanded research into the history of resistance to government power and nullification of unconstitutional acts has led us back to 1765 and the Stamp Act.
The victory against the Stamp Act represents one of the greatest practical applications of nullification in American history. The Colonists defeated the empire utilizing virtually every strategy and direction available – from resolutions and declarations, to protest, resistance and even non-compliance by government officials.
Based on meticulous research by Murray Rothbard in his book Conceived in Liberty, our 3 part video series (8 minutes total) teaches this “People’s Nullification of the Stamp Act” through actions by Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams and others.
Joining in were also Richard Henry Lee and John Dickinson. Lee organized an important boycott, and Dickinson captured the the spirit of the time when he wrote:
“The people of this country will never suffer themselves to be made slaves of by a submission to the damned act.”
Here’s another video – just 2 minutes – covering Lee and Dickinson.
As we all know, the nullification of the stamp act didn’t put things to rest. Less than 2 years later, Parliament tried another attack on liberty with the Townshend Acts. It’s here that Dickinson wrote his famous “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania.” In his first letter, he signed off with the Latin phrase that today is our motto here at the TAC: Concordia res parvae crescunt.
Click this link to learn more of this background, and read the first of these letters.
Also in response to the Townshend Acts, Samuel Adams and James Otis penned the “Massachusetts Circular Letter.” In it, they discussed their opposition to the taxes, but also provided a warning for today against this idea of a “living, breathing” constitution.
Here’s another video – 3 minutes long – to cover this important document.
Our short videos like these have chalked up nearly 3 million views in 2017 alone. We hope you’ll find these to be educational and inspiring as well.
Thank you for reading – and your support!
Concordia res parvae crescunt
(small things grow great by concord)
Michael Boldin, TAC
213.935.0553
Michael Boldin
December 20, 2017 at 06:29PM
