Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-06-15
Growth of american Liberty.
essay of Nellie Howell
class of 90 Lancaster High SCHOOL,

| OtUMJll vi ltfltbt IOuN LotUOt but
Commencement essay of Nellie Hovei
class of 80. Lancaster High SCHOOL,
AS the acorn of the forest often lie
dormant for years but ultimatel'
bursts forth and grows through tn,
centuries into tall, sturdy oak, 5,
the early influences leading to our pc
litical and religious freedom were 81
slow in development that we give
them only passing thought The
germs of freedom brought to England
by the old Germanic races were care.
fully nourished by their successors,
who in time were obliged to put forth
a mighty effort to maintain their
rights.
The year 1915 is memorable one in
English history for il marks the mani
festation of the power OF the common
| people who were soon to assert that
| power in various directions. In the
summer of that year the balons sue
ceeded in obtaining from King John a
charter which for tremendous results
on the liberty and civilization of The
race has no parallel in the worlds
history. 1t may well be called the
Magma Charta, for it embraces those
principles OF liberty which all English
people now recognize and for which
thousands have fought and died.
Even our constitution contains clauses
resembling those of this great charter.
For instance, Magma Charta states,
'.There shall be one measure for wine
and one for ale, and it shall be OF
weights as it is of measures" our con-
stitution provides that congress shall
fix the standard of weights and meas
ures. Again, Magma Charta ailirms
that "No freeman shall be imprisoned
unless by Judgment of his peers or by
the law of the land while the consti-
tuition that "In all criminal proseeu-
tions the accused shall enjoy the
rights to speedy and public trial BY
an impartial jury
Down to the time of the French and
Indian war the colonies had been left
almost wholly to themselves during
which time they had become busily
engaged in commerce, agriculture
and fisheries, thereby acquiring con-
siderable wealth. England now de-
tcrmined to tax them for the purpose
OF defraying the expenses of the war.
Is it then to be wondered at that when
Parliament passed an act requiring
the use of English stamps on legal
documents they rebelled against the
principle of taxation without repre-
sentation? The proud Indignation Of
the colonists led to the meeting of
the Stamp Act Congress where this
perpleXing question was freely dis
cussed by such men as James Otis and
Patrick Henry. A petition was sent
to the king and after one of the great
est discussions in the history of Parli-
ament Edmund Burke and William
Pitt took part, the act was repealed.
The Boston Tea Party, the story Of
which is known to every school boy,
showed the unflinching spirit of the
Americans and marked one important
step towards securing their liberty.
Previous to this time some steps
had been taken in New York at the
Albany convention and in Virginia
through the Virginia Resolutions,
where although nothing definite was
accomplished, the common tendency
towards one end was strongly brought
out, that of securing English rights
and priv eyes. for as yet they had no
thought of separation from the moth
efcountry. Even y ter the Revolution
began Washington wrote, "A recon
citation with Great Britain is now
impossible. When | took command