The Stamp Act Nullified: Colonial Resistance in Action
Refuse to comply. That’s exactly what the people did to nullify the Stamp Act, which took effect on November 1, 1765. We’ve all heard about the fiery protests, the bold resistance, hanging in effigy of stamp distributors and the like, but there was so much more to...
Blueprint: Rhetoric and Resistance Against the Townshend Acts
“The right of the people, to resist an unconstitutional law, is absolute and unqualified, from the moment the law is enacted.” Lysander Spooner penned this line in 1850, but he was tapping into a fundamental principle that evolved during the Revolution –...
John Adams: Patriot and Tyrant?
Many revere John Adams as a great patriot. Others view him as a big-government tyrant. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Adams was a prominent leader during the American Revolution and was one of the most outspoken supporters of independence. His writing...