King George the III was twenty- ve years
old in 1764. Although not an absolute monarch,
he wielded considerable power over the world’s greatest empire. Some thought
that the young king put his con dence in the wrong people. “We must call in bad
men to govern bad men,” he explained.
Deeply in debt a er the French and Indian War, the King’s advisors proposed
two unpopular revenue measures for the colonies: e Sugar Act of 1764 and the
Stamp Act of 1765.
e Sugar Act included a customs duty paid by merchants. It was unwelcome but
not unfamiliar. e Stamp Act was something new, a direct, internal tax that
a ected most colonists. Former Prime Minister William Pitt had known better.
When the idea was proposed to him a few years earlier he had declined “to burn
[his] ngers with an American Stamp Act.” Now nearly every piece of paper in the
colonies would require a revenue stamp. ere was a restorm of protest.
School children know what happened next: the debate about “taxation without
representation,” the birth of the Liberty Tree and the Sons (and Daughters) of
Liberty, the role of James Otis, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. e story is
familiar but not the back story. e events of 1765, two hundred and y years
ago, started a complex debate about the principles of government, the importance
of individual rights, and the identity of colonists as “Americans.”
I
Road to Revolution:
The Stamp Tax Crisis of 1765
2
In 1760 a Boston newspaper reported on the
lavish coronation of King George the ird.
A Tale of Two Cities
King George III in coronation robes
National Portrait Gallery, London
is bucket, owned by merchant John Rowe, was used
to ght the re of 1760. Boston’s Rowe’s Warf still bears
his name. Boston Fire Historical Society
Many local ministers preached sermons
on the Boston re as well as the small pox
epidemic. Some saw them as warnings to
repent. Boston Fire Historical Society
Boston 1760–1765
A great re engulfed the town of Boston in 1760. Raging for three
days it destroyed 174 houses, 175 shops and le 220 families
homeless. Lacking re insurance many were wiped out nan-
cially. e re was followed in 1764 by a devastating small
pox epidemic.
Victory in the French
and Indian War (the
North American phase
of the Seven Years War)
brought celebration but
also economic recession.
Merchants had grown
rich supplying British
forces. Now, some
began to struggle.
Tax collectors, like
Samuel Adams, showed
leniency.
London 1760–1765
“ e King’s herb woman” began the coronation proces-
sion, “with her six maids, two and two throwing sweet
herbs.” e Queen’s garment,” the richest thing of this
kind ever seen,” was “valued at one hundred thousand”
pounds.
Ironically George’s realm faced a staggering debt. In
1763, with success in the Seven Years War, Britain
emerged as the greatest world power. By one estimate
its debt reached 122.6 million pounds that year on an
annual budget of eight million.
e young king pressed his ministers for revenue.
three
s
n-
3
Taxing Matters
“
That a Revenue be raised in Your Majesty’s
Dominion in America defraying the expenses of
defending, protecting and securing same...”
Preamble to the Sugar Act 1764
Among colonial ports, Boston was
locked in the deepest recession
when news arrived of two revenue
measures, the Sugar Act of 1764,
and Stamp Act of 1765.
Sugar Act, 1764
e Sugar Act especially damaged
Boston merchants. Many depended
on the importation of molasses –
produced by slave labor in the West Indies
– for the production of rum. By 1750 Mas-
sachusetts exported two million gallons per
year. While the Sugar Act reduced the cus-
toms duty on imported molasses, a crack
down on smuggling brought a sense of
harassment to Boston merchants. It also
produced a sharp decline in trade.
Stamp Act, 1765
e Stamp Act was a formidable document –
13,000 words, in 63 sections, each marked
by a Roman numeral. It seemed that nearly
every piece of paper required a stamp: real
estate transactions, wills and other legal doc-
uments, newspapers, broadsides, almanacs,
bills of sale, liquor licenses, even playing cards.
e courts could not open without them nor
would ships be allowed to sail. Omi-
nously the penalty for making coun-
terfeit stamps was death “without
bene t of clergy.”
A two pence stamp
Courtesy of the Bostonian Society
e Virginia House of Burgesses
was in session when the Stamp
Act was announced. Patrick
Henry became famous for his
vehement protest. He may have
been in uenced by arguments
circulated by Samuel Adams
against the Sugar Act the previ-
ous year. Henry said that colo-
nial legislatures, not Parliament,
had the right to levy taxes — a
theme that resounded across the
American colonies. Patrick Hen-
ry Memorial Foundation
Taxation with Representation
In 1755 the Massachusetts Assembly approved a Stamp Tax to fund the French and
Indian War. Designs are described in this proclamation: a schooner with the motto,
“Steady : Steady,” a Pine Tree with the words “Province of the Massachusetts,” and
a cod sh with the words, “Staple of the Massachusetts.” ere was some grumbling
but acceptance because the tax was approved by the Massachusetts legislature.
Massachusetts Archives
Ruminations on the Sugar Act
New Englanders consumed a million and
a quarter gallons of rum each year – the
equivalent of four gallons for every man
woman and child. Rum also played a
central role in the African slave trade.
d
o
h
a
p
A
two
pe
nce stam
p
4
The View from
King Street
“
My temper does not incline
to enthusiasm.”
Lieutenant Governor
Thomas Hutchinson
More than any other o cial in
Boston, omas Hutchinson
came to personify unpopular
British policies.
Thomas Hutchinson
At the time of the Stamp Act omas Hutchinson
served simultaneously as lieutenant governor and
chief justice. His brother-in -law Andrew Oliver was
designated as Stamp Tax agent. Privately, Hutchinson
counseled against the Stamp Act but publicly defended
Parliament’s authority to tax the colonies. Out of step
with a growing democratic spirit, Hutchinson became
a lightening rod. “He was never able to empathize with
people who were not, as he was, part of the establish-
ment,” wrote his biographer Bernard Bailyn.
omas Hutchinson hoped to suppress dissent. His mind ran toward
“ rmness not subtlety” wrote Bernard Bailyn. “He didn’t understand
people who were sensitive to what power was because they had
never been able to share in it.” Massachusetts State House Arts
Collection
Located on the former
“King Street,” the Boston
Town House (now the
Old State House) was the
seat of British govern-
ment in Massachusetts.
e lion and unicorn
symbolized royal power.
Arguing before Chief Justice omas
Hutchinson, whom he resented
personally, James Otis rallied opin-
ion against the “writs of assistance,”
broad search warrants issued to
restrict smuggling during the French
and Indian War. Later he protested
“taxation without representation.”
Brilliant but unstable, Otis eventually
withdrew from public life.
Massachusetts State House Arts
Collection
A Talent for Making Enemies
When Hutchinson, who was not a lawyer,
accepted the position of Chief Justice, he
angered the Otis family. e position had
been promised to James Otis, Senior, father
of “patriots” James Otis and Mercy Otis
Warren.
James Otis reportedly pledged to “set
the whole province in a ame” a er
Hutchinson’s appointment as Chief
Justice. Library of Congress
Samuel Adams by
John Singleton Copley.
Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston
Mercy Otis Warren later wrote “melo-
dramas” satirizing the role of omas
Hutchinson. Museum of Fine Arts
The Adams Family
Samuel Adams father, Deacon Samuel
Adams, was active in establishing a
“land bank.” Farmers could borrow
paper money against the value of their
land. Hutchinson favored “hard money,”
gold and silver. He campaigned to destroy
the bank and Deacon Adams was ruined
fi nancially. His son Samuel inherited
debts and lawsuits.
HthihpdtppditHiidtd
5
e Commonwealth Museum’s Revolution
Gallery displays a facsimile of an
eighteenth century printing press.
The View From Chase
and Speakman’s Distillery
“
I was very cordially and respectfully treated by all
present. We had punch wine, pipes and tobacco,
biscuit and cheese etc.” John Adams describing a
meeting at Chase and Speakman’s
Wealthy colonial mer-
chants like omas
Hutchinson tended to
accept British policy.
People of the “middling
sort” were struggling
through hard economic
times.
A soon to be famous Elm tree was visible from the meeting place of the
Loyall Nine. Old Boston Taverns and Tavern Clubs, by Samuel Adams
Drake and Walter K. Watkins
The Loyall Nine
In a counting room at Chase and Speakman’s Distillery,
overlooking a prominent Elm tree, a group began meet-
ing to discuss the new taxes, and organize protests.
Although not wealthy they were substantial citizens.
Two distillers and a sea captain had been shut down for
smuggling. A newspaper editor, Benjamin Edes, would
become a master propagandist. ey called themselves
the “Loyall Nine.” Although not a member, Samuel
Adams attended their meetings.
Several members of the Loyall Nine had been
accused of smuggling. is Parliamentary re-
port from 1751 concluded “e ectual remedies
must be found to keep the British trader in
North America within bounds.” With histor-
ical hindsight, perhaps more thought should
have been given to this issue. Massachusetts
Archives
The Boston Gazette
and Country Journal
Benjamin Edes was a
member of the Loy-
all Nine. With partner
John Gill he produced
an in uential newspaper that challenged British policy. e Boston
Gazette and Country Journal began a drumbeat of criticism against
the Stamp Act and helped de ne issues for general readers. Printers
feared that the added expense of the tax could actually put them out
of business. In an early version of social media
they also printed broadsides and announcements
that attracted crowds to demonstrations and
protests.
e Boston Gazette and Country Journal encouraged
Stamp Tax protests. Massachusetts Historical Society
What’s in a Word? Caucus
Today the word caucus represents a political faction. Possibly the
word originated in Boston during this period. Political clubs were
forming, often representing economic interests. The Caulkers Club
met in the North End, the town’s center for shipbuilding. (Wood-
en ships used caulking between planks to prevent leaks.) The term
“caucus” may be derived from the name of this group.
AsoontobefamousElmtreewasvisiblefromthemeetingplaceofthe
6
The View from the StreetThe View from the StreetThe View from the Street
“
In the fray many were much bruised and
wounded in their heads and arms some
dangerously.” Account of Pope Night,
Evening Post, November 11, 1764
e Stamp Tax crisis brought
disadvantaged groups into
the political process in ways
that were unsettling to British
colonial o cials.
The Outsiders
In the eighteenth century they were called
the “people out of doors,” to signal that they
were outsiders in the political process. e
“people in doors” made policy. At the top
were respectable artisans, “the butcher, the
baker, the candlestick maker,” according to
historian Alfred Young. Below them was an
angry group of unemployed dockworkers,
sailors, transients, and the very poor. ey
were receptive to the idea that British pol-
icies were responsible for their plight and
ready to protest, even violently, whatever
needed protesting.
is painting depicts one of the “leather apron” men who
worked with their hands and were called “mechanics” during
the eighteenth century. Later Samuel Adams convinced some
to give up their leather aprons as part of a boycott of British
goods. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Pope Night in Boston
Library of Congress
Pope Night
November 5th was called
Pope Day in Boston. It
echoed the annual celebra-
tion of Guy Fawkes Day
in England when a plot by
Catholic dissidents to blow
up Parliament was foiled.
at evening North and
South End gangs carried
e gies of the Pope and the
devil before descending
on each other with rocks,
sts, and clubs. In 1764 a
child was killed when run
over by a cart. Samuel
Adams thought that these
energies could be put to better use and introduced
himself to the leader of the South End gang.
Henry Knox by Gilbert Stuart
Museum of Fine Arts
is petition from the Massachusetts
legislature to King and Parliament
protests the Stamp Act’s burden on the
poor. e rural population will have
di culty traveling “forty to y miles”
to the “metropolis” to buy stamps.
“Besides it was found that this tax lay
heaviest on the poor sort, and those
least able to bear that or any other
tax.” Massachusetts Archives
Youthful Indiscretions
For a time in the 1760’s Henry Knox, hero of the
American Revolution and President Washington’s
Secretary of War, was a lieutenant in the South
End gang.
7
The View from
Samuel Adams Study
“
This we apprehend annihilates our Charter
Rights to govern and tax ourselves.”
Samuel Adams, on the Sugar Act, 1764
To omas Hutchinson he
was the “Grand Incendiary.”
Others have dubbed him
the “Father of the American
Revolution.” Samuel Adams
came to prominence during
the Stamp Tax crisis.
Samuel Adams by John Singleton Copley
Adams is dressed simply be tting his democratic values and Puritan
ancestry. He points to the 1691 province charter. Adams alleged many
British violations of the charter particularly its provisions for taxation.
He also holds instructions from Boston Town Meeting to its delegation
in the General Court. e original charter is on display in the Com-
monwealth Museum Treasures Gallery. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Samuel Adams
He preferred to be called Samuel, or Mr. Adams, not the
more diminutive “Sam.” Yes, he inherited a malt business
but Adams was no businessman. at is not to say that
he was impractical. He had a genius for organization and
propaganda. Adams cra ed arguments to appeal to each
segment of the population and developed innovative
methods to spread his message from Boston, to other
Massachusetts towns, to the thirteen American colonies,
and London itself.
A Theory of the Case
Most people did not like taxes but Samu-
el Adams put the issue into a moral con-
text. “Taxation without representation”
was not merely unpleasant but a denial
of self-government. People who had no
role in making decisions for themselves
were reduced to the status of slaves.
Adams saw that British e orts to stop
dissent would further erode rights.
Admiralty courts in Halifax – trying
violations of the Sugar and Stamp Acts –
undermined the tradition of trial by jury.
Royal governors dismissed unruly legis-
latures elected by the people. Adams
predicted that British troops would be
called in one day.
Detail of the 1691 “William and Mary Charter” shown in Copley’s portrait
of Samuel Adams. Commonwealth Museum Treasures Gallery
Taxachusetts?
In the seventeenth century Massachusetts had the highest
taxes among the American colonies. An interest in edu-
cation was one reason. In a world historic experiment,
the Puritan government mandated the establishment
of public schools. People approved taxes through town
meeting or through representatives elected to the “General
Court.”
8
Locke wished to justify the “Glorious Rev-
olution” of 1689 that replaced King James
II with a limited constitutional monarchy.
He described the “state of nature” before
government was established. ere were
natural rights, most importantly “life,
liberty, and property.” Natural law protected them and could
never be breached. To protect rights and improve living condi-
tions people formed a government with limited powers through
a social contract. If a ruler violated rights revolution was justi ed.
ese ideas, particularly the concept of “natural rights” and
“natural law” were re ected in the rhetoric of the Stamp Tax
crisis. Rowdy mobs chanted “Liberty, Property, and No Stamps.”
Where did you get those ideas, Mr. Adams?
e Puritan eet, with agship Arbella, arrived to es-
tablish the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. W.F.
Halsall, An Elementary History of Our Country, by
Eva March Tappan
Samuel Adams combined the moral outlook of seventeenth
century Puritans with an eighteenth century belief in rights
and limited constitutional government.
Samuel Adams was deeply conscious of his Puritan ancestry.
English Puritans fought a civil war against the King and aris-
tocracy, seeing them as corrupt and repressive. e lingering
in uence of Boston’s Puritan founders helps explain Massa-
chusetts’ role in events leading to the American Revolution.
Old South Meeting House
Samuel’s father “Deacon Samuel
Adams” had a profound in uence.
He had a malt business but was
deeply religious and active in the
Old South Meeting House. He was
also a skilled politician who taught
his son the art of retail politics by
visiting taverns and political clubs.
e Commonwealth Museum Treasures Gallery displays
the 1691 Province Charter. Massachusetts Archives
Deacon Adams and friends discussed issues
surrounding the province charter. Granted
by King William and Queen Mary in 1691, it
had a frame of government and rules for gov-
erning. Young Samuel Adams learned that the
document was important for protecting rights.
He called it our “Magna Carta.” Legalistic
arguments, based upon the charter, were
central to Adams message.
Harvard College
Library of Congress
Puritans founded Boston Latin
School and Harvard College.
Adams was an alumnus of both.
At Harvard Samuel studied history
and modern political theory. Like
many, he was deeply in uenced
by the writings of John Locke and
other Enlightenment thinkers.
Green Dragon Tavern Old Boston Taverns
and Tavern Clubs, by Samuel Adams Drake
and Walter K. Watkins
Above all, Samuel Adams was a true
democrat who valued the opinion of
common people. He frequented taverns
to gauge public sentiment and worked
to establish an elected government
responsive to the will of the people. In
contrast to many revolutionaries he did
not seek personal power.
John Locke
Library of Congress
9
Liberty!
“
Armed with axes – the British soldiers made a
furious attack upon it...foaming with malice
diabolical, they cut down a tree because it bore
the name of Liberty.” Essex Gazette, 1775, after
British evacuation of Boston
For Samuel Adams August 14, 1765 was a day to
be remembered and celebrated. It began with an
episode of street theater.
Birth of the Liberty Tree
At Boston Neck, the one road into town, visitors were stopped
in a playful manner to check for stamps. Soon an e gy of
stamp agent Andrew Oliver was hung from the branches of
the Elm tree near Chase and Speakman’s Distillery. Decora-
tions included a large boot with a devil peeking out, a refer-
ence to Lord Bute one of the King’s ministers.
Later in the evening a rougher crowd gathered, cut down the
e gies and paraded them past the Town House. ey be-
headed the e gy of Andrew Oliver, demolished a building
thought to be the potential stamp o ce, and vandalized Oli-
ver’s home. Oliver resigned as stamp agent the next morning.
Stamp Tax protesters hung e gies in Massachu-
setts and other colonies. Marchand Archive
is announcement
by the Sons of Liberty
summoned Andrew
Oliver to appear be-
fore the Liberty Tree
to resign a second
time as stamp agent.
Massachusetts His-
torical Society
Sons of Liberty
In the British Parliament, Isaac Barre opposed the Stamp
Act. A veteran of the French and Indian War he was sym-
pathetic to Americans. Although he did not originate the
phrase, Barre called American dissidents “Sons of Liberty.”
As their support grew, the Loyall Nine began issuing state-
ments under that name. Barre Massachusetts is named for
Isaac Barre.
“A number of Spirited papers I have of Edes and
Gill to stir up the S...of L...and procure an elec-
tion next May.” is letter to omas Hutchin-
son from Judge John Cushing uses an abbrevia-
tion for the phrase “Sons of Liberty.” Perhaps it
was not politically correct to spell out the name.
February 2, 1766, Massachusetts Archives
Where was the Liberty Tree?
Offi cially named the “Tree of Liberty”
the old Elm was located at the corner of
today’s Boylston and Washington Streets in
downtown Boston. It was the site of many
demonstrations until chopped down by
British soldiers before evacuating Boston.
Isaac Barre.
Brooklyn Museum
Today, markers identify the site of Boston’s Liberty Tree.
b
s
O
f
t
t
M
t
Crossing the Line
“
Liberty and Property ... the Usual Notice of their
Intention to plunder and pull down a house.”
Governor Francis Bernard describing the chant
of Boston mobs
10
On the evening of August 26,
1765 a mob destroyed the
home of Lieutenant Governor
omas Hutchinson, one of
the most elegant buildings in
North America.
e attack on omas Hutchinson’s home
National Park Service © Louis S. Glanzman
Destruction of Hutchinson’s Home
Bent on total destruction and forti ed
with alcohol, angry protesters broke down
the front door with axes, ripped paneling
and wainscoting from walls, proceeded to
destroy inner walls, furniture, and paint-
ings, and carried o silver and clothing.
Hutchinson’s notes for a history of Massa-
chusetts were scattered and mud stained.
( e notes, discolored with mud, remain in
the vaults of the Massachusetts Archives.)
Seeking compensation, Hutchinson submitted this meticulous list of
damages. In addition to personal property he claims reimbursement
for “a plain lawn apron” for Susannah, a maid, and a “new cloth
coat” for “Mark negro.” A er a delay, Hutchinson was reimbursed
by the legislature. Massachusetts Archives
Ebenezer Mackintosh — Captain of
the Liberty Tree
Shoemaker Ebenezer Mackintosh, the
leader of the South End gang, was arrest-
ed a er the destruction of Hutchinson’s
home. Samuel Adams secured his release
but may have had second thoughts. Mack-
intosh was given a blue and gold uniform
as “Captain of the Liberty Tree” but sur-
rounded by more
respectable Sons
of Liberty in later
peaceful demonstra-
tions.
Mackintosh also participated in the
Boston Tea Party before moving to
Haverhill, New Hampshire. is his-
torical marker highlights other events
in his life. New Hampshire Depart-
ment of Transportation
is is the only contemporary
drawing of Hutchinson’s coun-
try home. Milton Historical
Society
Hutchinson’s Country House
Thomas Hutchinson also had a country
home in Milton overlooking the Nepon-
set River Valley. The home no longer stands but “Governor Hutchinson’s
Field” remains as conservation land. Close by is the birthplace of Presi-
dent George Herbert Walker Bush. Like Thomas Hutchinson, Bush is a
descendant of Puritan dissident Anne Hutchinson. Other Anne Hutchin-
son descendants include Franklin Roosevelt and Mitt Romney.
Seeking compensation, Hutchinson submitt
ed
this meticulous list of
thi
s
11
Reaching Out
Samuel Adams advocated a Stamp
Tax Congress to unite the colonies
and a boycott of British goods to gain
the attention of London merchants.
“
There will be a necessity of stopping in a
great measure the importation of English
goods.” Samuel Adams to Massachusetts’
agent in London Dennys DeBerdt
The Stamp Tax Congress
e Stamp Tax Congress was a Massachusetts initiative.
In June 1765 the House of Representatives voted to
contact each colonial legislature with the idea. Delegates
met in New York in October. Petitioning the King and
Parliament, Congress maintained that taxation without
representation was a violation of basic rights and that
Admiralty courts trying o enders in Halifax were illegal.
Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina captured the
spirit: “ ere ought to be no more New England men,
no New Yorkers... but all of us Americans.”
e Stamp Tax Congress met in New
York’s City Hall on Wall Street. Later
known as Federal Hall, it was the site
of President Washington’s inaugura-
tion. Library of Congress
James Otis played a prominent role in debates
but was showing signs of instability. Returning
to Boston he challenged British Prime Minister
George Grenville to resolve the issue by ghting
it out, one on one, on the oor of the House of
Commons. He died in dramatic fashion when
struck by lightening. Wichita Art Museum
For a time British businessman Richard Jackson rep-
resented Massachusetts’ interests in London. Alarmed
by news of the Stamp Tax Congress, he warns:
“I cannot express my concern for what has happened
in America, God knows what the Consequences will
be, sure I am that the Congress of the Americans
will weaken the power of their friends here to service
them.” Massachusetts Archives
Non-Importation
Samuel Adams realized that London merchants
were vulnerable to the boycott of English goods
and worked to persuade merchants in Boston,
New York and Philadelphia to stop imports.
Two hundred New York merchants, 400 Phila-
delphia merchants, and 250 Boston merchants
joined. British exports to the colonies quickly
declined by 14% and many English merchants
began to panic.
This 1770 article in the
Boston Gazette uses the
phrase “Daughters of
Liberty.”
Women played a signifi cant
role in the boycott by discourag-
ing neighbors from buying Brit-
ish goods and substituting home
made products. In 1765 many
Boston women agreed not to
serve lamb in order to increase
the production of wool.
12
Merchant Prince
“
The town has done a wise thing this
day. They have made this young
man’s fortune their own.” Samuel
Adams to his cousin John, on the
occasion of John Hancock’s election
to the Massachusetts legislature,
1766
In November 1765 John
Hancock, reputedly Boston’s
wealthiest merchant, publicly
sided with Samuel Adams in
opposition to the Stamp Tax.
Taking a Stand
John Hancock observed attacks on the homes of
Oliver and Hutchinson with concern. He did not
wish to be next. Yet he had genuine sympathy for
the poor and a desire for popularity. Privately
he had written to his London agents protesting
the Stamp Act. In November 1765 he signed a
non-importation agreement. Not yet married, he
wrote a note in his letterbook to document his
stand for future Hancock children. “It is the
united Resolution & Determination of the people
here not to Carry on Business under a Stamp.”
John Hancock by John Singleton Copley. Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston
John Hancock’s Beacon
Hill Home. Its destruction
during the nineteenth
century stimulated the
historic preservation
movement.
While Hancock’s Boston
home no longer stands,
visitors can see the child-
hood home of his wife
Dorothy Quincy (in the
city of Quincy.) It became
a meeting place for Han-
cock and other patriots
before the revolution.
Quincy Sun Photo/Robert
Noble
Pope Day 1765
November 1 was the date for implementation
of the Stamp Act. In Boston the stamps were in
storage at Castle William (now Castle Island.) It
was too dangerous to unload them. On October
31st, during the season of Pope Day, John Han-
cock made a dramatic public statement. Samuel
Adams had organized a “Union Feast” bringing
together members of the North and South End
gangs, with respectable politicians and merchants,
“with Heart and
Hand in owing
Bowls and bumping
Glasses.” John Han-
cock paid the tab
and never looked
back.
In 1758 young John Hancock signed
a merchants’ petition protesting
taxes. Notice the curlicues under the
signature. It is not yet the famous
version on the Declaration of
Independence but Hancock is work-
ing on it. Massachusetts Archives.
House of Hancock
His benefactions were many, including maintenance of Boston
Common, provision of fi rewood and food for the poor, and
donating Boston’s fi rst fi re engine. In the depressed economy of
1765 he offered loyal workers a chance to have their own branch
store under the name “House of Hancock” with a 50/50 profi t
sharing agreement. Four clerks accepted the offer. Possibly this
was America’s fi rst business franchise.
13
Repeal
“
The expectation of a rupture with the colonies...has
struck the people of Great Britain with more terror
than they ever felt for the Spanish Armada...It was this
terror...which rendered the repeal of the Stamp Act,
among the merchants at least, a popular measure.”
Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Cause
of the Wealth of Nations
The Merchants of London
At eleven o’clock on the morning of March
17, 1766 London merchants boarded y
coaches and traveled as a caravan to the
House of Lords. at morning they had ap-
proved a petition to King George III to accept
Parliament’s vote repealing the Stamp Act.
e following day the twenty-seven year old
king agreed. Reports of violent protest across
colonial America, the impossibility of un-
loading stamps, and the damaging boycott of
British goods had been decisive.
Celebration
News of repeal reached
Boston with the arrival
of the brigantine Harri-
son, on May 16th. London
merchants had sent word on one of John Hancock’s
ships. It was a piece of luck. Many thought that Han-
cock was responsible for repeal. Perhaps he thought
so himself. ere was universal rejoicing. Church bells
pealed, and guns red. John Hancock paid for re-
works on Boston Common and for the release of every
person in debtors’ prison. He set out casks of Madeira
wine in front of his Beacon Hill home.
An eighteenth century English coach.
Broadside announcing repeal
New York Historical Society
Afterword
e joy was short lived because Parliament quickly ap-
proved the Declaratory Act reiterating its right to tax
the colonies. e Stamp Act crisis was a beginning,
not an end. It de ned the issues that would lead to the
American Revolution, “taxation without representa-
tion” and the need for a democratic government that
would protect rights. During the crisis several gures
stepped out of the provincial shadows and onto the
historical stage. ey presented a world-view that is
still revolutionary today.
What’s in a word? Boycott
Samuel Adams used the term Non-Importation Agreement.
The word ‘boycott” originated in Ireland in 1880 when
tenant farmers used this strategy against estate agent
Charles C. Boycott to protest high rents.
An eighteenth century brigantine.
