The American mantra for Revolution: No taxation without representation

The American Revolution began in the hearts and minds of many Americans long before any shots were fired at Lexington or Concord. King George III’s Government triggered the rebellion when Westminster passed the Sugar Act of 1764 (4 Geo. III c. 15), which was the first attempt to collect a tax from the colonists and send the revenue back to London. The Act was motivated by a desire to pay off a large looming national debt caused by the Seven Years War, otherwise known as the French and Indian Wars (1754–1763), which was primarily waged in the American Colonies. Prime Minister George Grenville viewed the tax as a simple solution for a debt problem, as the Act revised the Sugar & Molasses Act of 1733, which protected plantation owners in the British West Indies from being under priced by French, Dutch & Spanish West Indie growers, who had developed a successful trade for sugar and molasses with New England and Middle Colonies. If the Sugar Tax had been successful it would have largely paid for the war and effectively destroyed the rum industry with non-British suppliers. Customs officials were empowered to have all violations tried in vice admiralty courts rather than jury trials in local colonial courts where the juries generally looked favourably on smuggling as a profession.

In 1765, Parliament, led by Grenville, levied the Stamp Act (Duties in American Colonies Act 1765; 5 Geo. III, c. 12) on the colonists, which taxed most legal and business related documents, including newspapers, playing cards, pamphlets and other printed material. That same year colonial leaders in New England organized the Stamp Act Congress, which adopted resolutions stating colonists paid equal taxes as those in Great Britain, but had no representation in Westminster. The colonists also expressed their disdain for being treated as second class British citizens. The Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress focused on the major concepts embraced by the Magna Carta (1215) – rights to trial by jury, ability to petition the government for readdress of grievances, and no taxation without equal representation. The final resolution called for the boycotting of all English made goods and products.

Westminster, under the leadership of Prime Minster Rockingham, who had invited Benjamin Franklin to London to address the House of Commons regarding colonial policy and taxation, responded to the resolutions by passing the Declaratory Act of 1766 (American Colonies Act 1766; 6 Geo. III, c. 12). The Act repealed the Stamp Act and declared all colonial laws null and void. This was an attempt by the government to re-assert its power and supremacy over the colonies. The Act included a wide variety of import duties on goods shipped to North America, including tea. Parliament then passed the Townshend Revenue Act of 1767, which was to have the colonists pay their fair share of maintaining the British Empire, placed a tax on such items as glass, paint, oil, lead, paper & tea. The Act was designed to correct objections raised by the hostilities encountered after the Stamp Act.

The Boston Tea Party took place in December 1773, when member of the Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians, and cheered on by a large group of spectators, dumped 342 chests of East India Co. tea into the Boston Harbour. The Boston rebels destroyed £10,000 worth of cargo ($1 million in 2010 USD). This event sparked an American boycott of all English tea and many English products. In April 1774, Edmond Burke, a Whig member in the House of Commons, asked his fellow MPs not to levy a tax against the colonies just because they had a right to do so. Burke was labelled an American sympathizer in London.

The First Continental Congress met for the initial time in 1774 to petition His Majesty’s Government for a redress of grievances, which included a list of American values, such as the right to representation, idea of the rule of law, the right to trials by jury, rights to peaceably assemble, petition the government for a redress of grievances, separate and independent branches of government, along with a stance against a strong standing army during peace time.

Shots heard around the world – in April 1775, General Gage sent 700 British troops to stop the illegal meetings of the Continental Congress in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. Three riders, including Paul Revere, rode out of Boston to warn the colonists of the British advancement. Minutemen began firing shots at the British troops and backup was called for from Boston. Revere rowed a small boat across the Charles River to Charlestown and then barrowed a horse to warn the colonial leaders in Lexington.

Enough was enough, on 4 July 1776, members of the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to attach their names to a letter bound for King George III and Westminster, outlining the list of grievances against their Government with no alternatives offered, but a declaration of independence from the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence ignited Westminster to proclaim the colonies in a state of insurrection and King George III ordered the military to take all appropriate action to suppress the revolt. The colonists had send ambassadors to France and The Netherlands to conjure up support for the American cause. Benjamin Franklin, dispatched to France in December 1776, was welcomed to Paris with great enthusiasm, many Frenchmen volunteered to support the American war against Britain and King Louis XVI of France dedicated much needed financial, naval and military resources needed to take on the English. A revolution had begun and the British were fighting an American genius, General George Washington, who loved intelligence, counter espionage and leading from the front lines. The British subsequently declared war on the French and the Dutch for aiding in the rebellion. By the end of the war, the Austrians and Spanish were also giving support to the American cause for independence and freedom.

Vacation in the Pacific West - Seattle, Washington & Northern California

I just got back from a little vacation to Seattle, Washington and northern California. While in Seattle area I helped my brother pack up his flat, as he is storing his belongings while he is out to sea (he is in the US Navy on board the USS Alabama) for the next 90 days and then will be discharged from the service when this tour of duty is complete. He and his wife, who is Mexican, plan on moving to Colorado and my brother will go to university to become a civil engineer and my sister-in-law will work as a nurse.

While my brother worked, I rode the ferry multiple times across the Puget Sound into the heart of Seattle. I took the Bill Speidel’s underground tour of the city – which was really cool! During the late 1800s the Bubonic plague hit Seattle and was spread as a result of rats roaming the street, which were at sea level. At that same time a fire burned most of downtown Seattle and the city council at the time decided that when the city was rebuilt it should have 1) raised streets to keep the rats at bay and 2) building constructed of brick or stone. The city began to rebuild and business realized what was the ground floor would eventually become the basement. It took twenty years to raise the 32-square blocks, but finally the task was complete. In the end more dirt was moved than in the construction of the Panama Canal. Most of the former ground levels were sealed and later became popular as heroine dens in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s Bill Speidel a newspaper writer and historian began purchasing many of the former ground-levels and created this tour to show folks what Seattle looked like prior to 1907.

Seattle is a beautiful city and in some ways reminds me of Edinburgh, or perhaps a cosy fishing village, though the population far exceeds a couple million in the Puget Sound area, though the fog, rain and copious amounts of islands, inlets and nautical mystic makes Seattle resemble something between San Francisco and Dublin. One of the most famous markets in the United States is Pike Place Market in Seattle and it is famous for selling fresh fish (from the fishermen or their agents themselves), tea, coffee, fresh flowers, and produce from the local inland farms. Starbuck’s first shop opened in Pike Place and Seattle is headquarters to three of America’s largest coffee companies – Starbucks, Peet’s Coffee, and Seattle’s Best, along with Market Spice Tea, which is an orange-spice black tea that is very popular in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. I ate way too much fish, but had to try the salmon, halibut, and cod (on different days of course ;-) )

From Seattle I headed south along US Highway 5, which is more commonly known as the Pacific Coast highway. As the name on the tin suggests, it runs right along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. I stopped a lot to walk on the beaches and take photos. I continued until I reached Redwood National Park, home to some of America’s tallest, largest, and oldest trees. One tree was so big that I actually drove my car through it – one of the more random things I did on my travels. The Coastal Redwoods are amazing and I spend time hiking/walking through them. It is very relaxing to walk though nature.

The next stop in California was Napa Valley – home to America’s largest wine producing region. It is also famous for two mineral water companies and many farms which produce fruits and nuts. My uncle and aunt have been living there, but are currently moving to Virginia, where my uncle has accepted a position as a facilities and maintenance manager at Mount Vernon – the home of George Washington. I obviously had to try the wine, which definitely has a different taste than French wine or Colorado wine. Touring wineries is really fun, but you have to be careful not to sample too much.

I skirted around San Francisco and then to Sacramento, where I toured the State Capitol Building and saw the home of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (who happens to share the same date of birth, though he was born 37 years before me). From Sacramento I raced back across Nevada and Utah to Colorado to attend a biometrics appointment for my student visa for the UK.