Put a Stamp On It
The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History March 17 - 23.
Suppose the United States experiences another revolution, like a good old-fashioned one, where violence erupts. In that case, sides are determined, and a proper war is fought.
I wonder where we will look for the seeds that were planted that put everything into motion.
I have mentioned it before - we are always living in history. Winners do not always write history lest you forget the Civil War and the aftermath of ending Reconstruction too early. Who claims victory is just as important as the side that was victorious.
A few weeks ago, I argued that the new Revolution had begun, and we had lost. It’s a depressing position to take, but I think there is a glimmer of hope that I am wrong; fortunately for you, I tend to be wrong often.
When history is written about the first quarter of the 21st-century United States of America, it will analyze what sparked the revolution (if there was one) and who did what, when, and why.
We won’t be around to see what is written. Most of it could be wiped out because we rely so much on technology. We are witnessing pieces of history being wiped clean right before our eyes. We have plenty of examples of when things ultimately worsened, but it feels like a daily occurrence.
This is to say that it was much easier to pinpoint where the seeds of the Revolution took hold when describing the events leading up to the American Revolution.
By the mid-1700s, the British were in massive debt due to the costs of fighting the French in the Seven Years' War to control North America. Since the British won, they needed revenue to replenish what they spent, and the best place to get that was in the American Colonies, which had benefited from our Overlords' protection.
So, Parliament passed a series of taxes, and the Stamp Act was enacted on March 22, 1765.
The Stamp Act required an official government stamp on any official document or newspaper pamphlet. This was a direct tax on colonists collected at the moment someone needed paper to write something. They had to get a stamp from an official stamp distributor, and all of it sounds horrible.
Colonists agreed. Britain had always regulated trade, imposing taxes on goods imported and exported, but this was too much. The Stamp Tax followed the Sugar Act, which had been implemented a year before, and everyone in America wanted Britain to stop “acting” so much.
The reaction to the Stamp Act was one seed from which the Revolution grew. Americans wanted representation or no taxation. Ten years later, a fever was so hot that Patrick Henry declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death" on March 23, 1775.
One year later, we stamped our way into history.
Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:
1. The start of a civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, began on March 21, 1965. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., 2,000 protestors from Dallas County went to the state capitol to protest the lack of voting rights. This was weeks after “Bloody Sunday,” where state troopers, under the order of Governor George Wallace, beat the protestors back over the Edmund Pettus Bridge. The marchers, a mix of white and black people, with help from President Lydon Johnson, completed their task under the protection of the National Guard. That August, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
2. Stephen Sondheim was born on March 22, 1930. The iconic American composer and lyricist got his first big break when he wrote lyrics to the songs in West Side Story. He would go on to create musical hits like A Little Night Music, Company, and my all-time favorite, Sweeney Todd. His work was complex and challenging to perform. Into the Woods was a fantastic musical that had a happy ending at the end of the first act, and then everyone died by the end of the second. Sondheim himself passed away in 2021 at 91.
3. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law on March 23, 2010. President Barack Obama signed a healthcare overhaul bill called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. This is the most significant regulatory healthcare act since the 1960s when we implemented Medicare and Medicaid. All three health systems get argued about all the time.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to everyone. It’s my second since I became a dual citizen a year ago. Since it’s a Monday, I will go to work like a responsible adult, have a few after-dinner drinks with our neighbor friends, and wonder why I scheduled 400 meetings on the 18th beginning at 8:00 a.m.
It’s also a significant anniversary as St. Patrick passed away on March 17, 460. That was 1,565 years ago today. Be sure to tell everyone that little tidbit at the parties you attend today and skip work.
Enjoy the holiday, and be safe out there! I’ll see you all on Friday with another Scandal Ranking!
Have a great week. Thanks for your support of Okay History.
Okay,
Chris
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