Rome Free Academy - De O Wain Sta Yearbook (Rome, NY)

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16. THE SENIOR ANNUAL. diminish colonial rights proved unsuc- cessful; because the great body of mer- chants in general agreed not to trade with England, while patriots of the Samuel Adams type bound themselves by oath to “eat nothing, drink nothing, wear nothing’ imported from that country until the duties on all articles should be cancelled. Thus, the obstinacy of the colonists began to assume a serious aspect; there- fore, in order to retain harmony and peace Parliament resolved to repeal all taxes, except one of a few cents per pound on tea. This duty was kept merely to maintain the RIGHT of the British gov- ernment to tax the colonies, and also, be- cause of the pressure brought upon it by the great East India Tea Company, which was closely allied to the govern- ment, and which at this time was almost a bankrupt. Seventeen million pounds of tea belo nging to this vast concern had been stored up in its warehouses, for the simple reason that there was no demand for the article in America. Accordingly, Parliament satisfactorily appeased the East India Company by adjusting the matter of duty payment, so as to enable that great corporation to under-sell the Dutch in trading with the American colonies. But, regardless of the fact that the Americans could now buy the tea, in- cluding the tax, cheaper from England than they could smuggle it from Hol- land, whence they were copiously sup- plied, still they continued firm and es- tablished in their belief that this small, insignificant tax on tea was based on an oppressive and unjust principle, since it was levied without their consent. Fur- thermore, the calonists foresaw the danger of having the East India Com- pany monopolize their trade in other goods besides tea, and, consequently, drive their merchants out of business. At any rate, three tea ships were sent to Boston, and several were likewise de- spatched to New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston; but in each instance the tea was either sent back or destroyed. At Boston, the citizens prohibited the cargoes from being landed, having ap- pointed guards, among whom were six horsemen, who held themselves in readi- ness to spread any necessary alarm con- cerning the movements of the ships. Governor Hutchinson, on the other hand, being a devoted Loyalist, refused to grant the vessels permission to return to England until they had discharged their tea. Under these exasperating circum- stances it was evident that the crisis must soon come, since the twenty days’ allow- ance granted for the unloading of a ship was gradually expiring. At last, on December 16, 1773, two days before the expiration of the twenty days’ limit, the patriots, headed by Samuel Adams, re- solved to take decisive action. An en- thusiastic indignation meeting of citizens numbering seven thousand was held in the Old South Meeting House on the afternoon of that day. While this as- sembly was in session, Rotch, the owner of one tea ship—the Dartmouth—was petitioning Governor Hutchinson for a permit to pass out of the harbor, home- ward bound. But the governor would grant no such permission. The day was now far advanced when it was reported to the assembled patriots that Hutchinson had absolutely for- bidden the ships to depart. Samuel Adams then arose and spoke, giving the signal for action which had already been agreed upon. “This meeting can do nothing more to save the country.”” Im- mediately, about fifty men, disguised as Indians and armed with hatchets, rushed down to the wharf, boarded the vessels, and, as has been so often related, de-

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THE SEN their living, or else to die of starvation. Gradually, through earnest, concen- trated efforts, the colonists prospered, and became a mighty people; whereupon, they insisted upon having personal rights and freedom in the homes which they themselves had established. Again, for over a century after the settlement of the colonies, the presence of the French in Canada had suppressed any possible aggressive movement on the part of England to subjugate the Americans. The power of France in the North and her hostile attitude toward the British government compelled the latter to resort to extremely liberal measures in dealing with her colonists in America; hence our ancestors were not lax in grasping the opportune advantages which resulted from the strained rela- tions between the two dominating powers on the new continent. After the fall of Quebec in 1759, which event virtually closed the French and Indian War. the British, upon turn- ing their undivided attention to the colo- nial governments, actually found them to be independent States, governed by as- semblies which exercised all the powers and functions of Parliament. This, naturally, was objectionable to the Eng- lish. sence accordingly, it was the policy of the Crown to extirpate this deep-rooted feeling of independence from the hearts of the American patriots and to subdue them under the relentless power of British Parliament. The King, urged by his friends, sought to effect his plans indirectly, by imposing taxes upon the colonists for the support of the home government. This appears to be the key to the whole situation, the details of which are indispensable to properly un- derstand such outbreaks as the Boston Tea Party. The first step taken by King George III, who ascended the throne in 1760, NIOR ANNUAL. 15. toward accomplishing his purpose was a rigid enforcement of the old Naviga- tion Laws of Cromwell’s time. These prohibited the ships of all foreign na- tions from trading in the colonies, with additional restrictions intended to injure the foreign trade of the colonists, whose commerce had prospered without inter- ruption for nearly a century. For, although the home government had dili- gently imposed custom laws previous to the close of the French War, it had by no means been as diligent to enforce them. In other words, all laws became a dead letter and remained so for many vears. Now, suddenly, Parliament was determined that the old laws should be enforced, and the Americans learned that the ‘‘hope of their gain’ was threatened with ruin at the hands of the mother country. soon Men-of-war were immediately sta- tioned along the American coast to stop the free trade conducted chiefly with the French and Spanish West Indies. Fur- thermore, in the large seaport towns, officers of the King, armed with search- warrants, termed “ Writs of Assistance,” broke into men’s homes and places of business in search of smuggled goods, regardless of the owners’ innocence. The leading citizens were greatly exasperated by such outrages, but their complaints for a time were utterly disregarded. Shortly afterwards, a new system of taxation was proposed; namely, the ‘Stamp Act.”” Moreover, the obstinate opposition of the colonists caused it to be repealed the year following its enact- ment. The next movement of the King and his friends was to impose a tax upon glass, paper, paints, and tea, for the pur- pose of securing salaries for the soldiers, governors, and judges quartered in America, thus making the citizens wholly dependent upon the Crown. However, this attempt to exalt royal power and to

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