Birth of the Republic
The Birth of the Republic
Edmund S. Morgan
Notes
James Otis – 1765 “Were these colonies left to themselves tomorrow, America would be a mere shambles of blood and confusion . . . . there would soon be civil war from one end of the continent to the other.”
20 years later these same people united to create a government that has had a longer continuous existence than that of any Western country except England. P. 8 - Colonial governors helpless to take action without the assistance of the representative assemblies. The assemblies held the power of the purse and generally got their way. Navigation Acts – acts passed by British Parliament to regulate colonial trade so that raw materials were produced for the mother country and manufactured goods were purchased from her. Raw materials could only go to England, purchase finished goods from England; all colonial trade must be conducted on English shipping (page 9)
Purpose of the acts was to promote the economic welfare of the empire in general and of the mother country in particular. Salutory Neglect – Gov of GB could not govern half the globe, when not focused on extending the empire elsewhere, thought local issues in England to be of greater importance then enforcement of the Navigation Acts (p10) Sugar Act – to raise money,
Parliament’s exclusive power to tax was the most important feature of its supremacy over the King, the most important guarantee of English liberty. Stamp Act – 1765 – almost anything formally written or printed would have to be on special stamped paper which would be shipped from the central stamp office in London and dispensed in America by local agents on payment of specified taxes.
Pay stamp fees at every stage of a lawsuit, diplomas, deeds, almanacs and advertisements, bills and bonds, custom papers and newspapers, even dice and cards Colonists did not wait for the stamp tax to take affect – mob stoned and pillaged the house of Andrew Oliver, a designated tax
Edmund S. Morgan
Notes
James Otis – 1765 “Were these colonies left to themselves tomorrow, America would be a mere shambles of blood and confusion . . . . there would soon be civil war from one end of the continent to the other.”
20 years later these same people united to create a government that has had a longer continuous existence than that of any Western country except England. P. 8 - Colonial governors helpless to take action without the assistance of the representative assemblies. The assemblies held the power of the purse and generally got their way. Navigation Acts – acts passed by British Parliament to regulate colonial trade so that raw materials were produced for the mother country and manufactured goods were purchased from her. Raw materials could only go to England, purchase finished goods from England; all colonial trade must be conducted on English shipping (page 9)
Purpose of the acts was to promote the economic welfare of the empire in general and of the mother country in particular. Salutory Neglect – Gov of GB could not govern half the globe, when not focused on extending the empire elsewhere, thought local issues in England to be of greater importance then enforcement of the Navigation Acts (p10) Sugar Act – to raise money,
Parliament’s exclusive power to tax was the most important feature of its supremacy over the King, the most important guarantee of English liberty. Stamp Act – 1765 – almost anything formally written or printed would have to be on special stamped paper which would be shipped from the central stamp office in London and dispensed in America by local agents on payment of specified taxes.
Pay stamp fees at every stage of a lawsuit, diplomas, deeds, almanacs and advertisements, bills and bonds, custom papers and newspapers, even dice and cards Colonists did not wait for the stamp tax to take affect – mob stoned and pillaged the house of Andrew Oliver, a designated tax