The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1921-07-01

These laws were comprehensive and strict, being
designed to give British merchants monopoly
of trade with the colonies and to protect British
manufacturers against colonial competition. War
~nIps wereIhow placed along the coast to stop
colonA trade with FrApee and Spain and
: Their West Indian colonies The "Writs of As
sisancer We're general search warrants given to
customs officials to enable them to break into and
search any premises at any time. James OTIS
the famous Boston lawyer opposed the right of
the British government to issue the writs or even
TO pass act of trade imposing a tax on the
colonies. John Adams said of Otis celebrated
speech at breathed into this nation the breath
of life Undoubtedly this situation was Of
the contributing causes of the Revolution.
Then King George demanded that the colonies
pay the expense of a British army of about 90
900 men TO be quartered in America to protect
the colonies against the Indians The colonies
suspected the purpose of this army and would
have none of it. Here was the beginning of real
trouble little later.
The Boston Tea Party" a serious affair,
not in itself but because parliament Immediate
ly took measures to punish Boston and Massa
ehusetts The closing of the port Of Boston the
removal Of the seat Of government to Salem, the
appointment of General Gage as governor of Mas
sachusetts and the remodeling of the charter OF
Massachusetts constituted warning to all thu
colonies that free government in Inminen
danger everywhere On top Of this CO me th
act providing that British officers or mag stratc
charged with murder or other capital crime shoul'
be tried in some other colony In England; th
act billetng soldiers people who failed yolun
tarily to provide quarters and the act extending
the boundaries Of Quebec to the Ohio river and
establishing an arbitrary form Of government.
Tiis cumGiation of activities on the part Of the
crown seems to have convinced the colonies that
their only salvation lay in getting together for
united action. So the First Continental Congress
met. This congress was merely deliberative ana
advisory it issued declaration of rights; it +
formed IN association for carrying out the non (
importation agreement; it forwarded a petition /
to the king and set out an address to the col
ones: 1t provided for another congress to meet 4
in 1870. Stil there open discussion Of
independence
1t was Massachusetts which finally set off the
powder barrel General Gage summoned the pro-
vncial congress to meet in Salem, but put off the
date of assembling. The delegates met without
him and his counsellors. They provided for the
appointment of committee of safety and Issued
II call for $1,000 minute Men," Parliament then
declared Massachusetts to be In state of re-
hellion. Next was the expedition out of Boston
10 seize powder and to arrest the two chief trait
ors".
Then came the 'shots heard round the world"
md boOdshed. The fight was on And still there
was no open movement for independence until
a. ter n year of bloody fighting 1t was not until
June 1916 in the Second Continental Congress,
that Virginia's instructed delegate, Richard Hen
ry Lee introduced the resolution beginning, THAT
these united colonies are, and of right ought TO
be. free and independent states
The Declaration of Independence, as drafted
by Thomas Jefferson with the aid of John Adams,
Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert
R. Livingston and amended by congress, consists
Of two principal parts: statement of American
political theories in justification of independence
and list of abuses by King George III that had
operated to absolve the united colonies from all
allegiance 10 the British crown. The facts here
n set forth make clear most Of the abuses as out
ined in the Declaration.