The Forgotten Law That Caused the American Revolution

Mar 12, 2025

25:32

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On March 18, 1766, the British Parliament repealed the Stamp Act – but on the very same day, they passed something far more dangerous: the Declaratory Act. This law claimed Parliament had the power to make laws “in all cases whatsoever” over the American colonies and people. It wasn’t just about taxes or representation – it was about unlimited, centralized power. Decades later, James Madison called this the “fundamental principle” behind independence. John Hancock, Thomas Paine, John Dickinson, and Thomas Jefferson all saw it as the true cause of the Revolution. But they never teach this in government-run schools.

Path to Liberty: March 12, 2025

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Episode – REFUSE TO COMPLY: How the Stamp Act Was Nullified

Declaratory Act (18 March 1766)

Benjamin Franklin – Examination before the Committee of the Whole of the House of Commons (13 Feb 1766)

John Adams – Diary (Apr 1766)

John Dickinson – Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania VIII (1767)

John Adams – Notes for an oration at Braintree (Spring 1772)

Joseph Warren – A List of Infringements and Violations of Rights (20 Nov 1772)

Benjamin Franklin – Rules By Which A Great Empire May Be Reduced To A Small One (11 Sept 1773)

Episode – Benjamin Franklin’s Rules for Bringing Down Empires