To the editor:
As we approach the 250th anniversary of America’s independence and the war that began April 19, 1775, at the Battle of Lexington and Concord, it may be instructive to reflect on colonists’ lengthy nonviolent struggle against their government’s policies in the decade prior to the American Revolution.
Between 1765 and 1775, Britain turned to their American colonies to raise funds for a treasury depleted by war with France. The Stamp Act and the Townsend Act were taxes or duties levied on items imported by the colonies. The colonists came to regard these actions as a violation of their rights as British citizens, i.e., taxation without representation.
American colonists responded by passing resolutions; sending appeals to Britain and the king; writing letters that appeared in newspapers across the colonies, such as “Letters from a Pennsylvania Farmer”; organizing large boycotts; nonimportation and nonconsumption schemes, i.e., economic noncooperation; refusal to abide by unfair laws such as the Stamp Act; creation of symbols such as the Liberty Tree; public demonstrations that included a mock funeral for Liberty and effigies of tax agents; public meetings and protests; and the creation of parallel institutions that functioned as governing bodies, such as the Stamp Act Congress, Committees of Correspondence and Continental Congress.
These actions constituted the colonists’ nonviolent resistance against what they saw as the violation of their rights as British citizens. The colonists were attempting to send a message and create strong incentives for the British Parliament and king to change their policies toward the American colonies. Britain imposed the “Coercive Acts” in 1774 to exert its power and punish the colonies for pushing back, which only amplified discontent.
The public is invited to participate in a peaceful nonviolent “No Kings” rally in Marblehead on Saturday, March 28 from 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. at the corner of Maple and Lafayette streets (Route 114). Many other North Shore “No Kings” events will take place, including “No Kings” Swampscott (10 a.m.-noon at the Monument). Register on Mobilize website (www.mobilize.us).
The League of Women Voters of the United States is one of many sponsors of this peaceful national event.
Kathleen Leonardson
Cloutmans Lane
