American History to 1865

The Fairfax Resolves 9-24

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: History

Lesson: 5-35

Genre: Lecture

Track: 05

Dictation Name: RR144C5

Location/Venue: Fairfax County

Year:

As we continue now with the Fairfax County Resolves, as we continue I’d like to just comment on something that John has remarked upon. He said he’d like to see the states do this now to the federal government. Well he’s put his finger on a real issue. Why don’t we hear about this now? Well since 1860, This kind of thing has been dropped from the textbooks. Why? Because if this was true then, it was true in 1860. In fact you could take the very arguments that were used by the colonies against parliament, and use them, and some people did in the South, against the federal government in 1860 and 61. Well naturally they didn’t want those arguments that were used against parliament, used against Washington D.C. So they have dropped out of our textbooks since then. A very important aspect of our history, which, is a perversion of our history. Because what the Fairfax County resolves and other things very clearly demonstrated that, we today have the same evil that they did then. We have an invasion of the federal government into the counties, the states, and the citizens thereof. To continue now with the Fairfax County Resolves. If there is a question at any point, don’t hesitate to raise your hands. Because these are important, and we are going to consider all of the resolves in turn, and I want you to understand them clearly. Number Nine:

“9. Resolved that there is a premeditated Design and System, formed and pursued by the British Ministry, to introduce an arbitrary Government into his Majesty's American Dominions; to which End they are artfully prejudicing our Sovereign, and inflaming the Minds of our fellow-Subjects in Great Britain, by propagating the most malevolent Falsehoods; particularly that there is an Intention in the American Colonies to set up for independent States; endeavoring at the same Time, by various Acts of Violence and Oppression, by sudden and repeated Dissolutions of our Assemblies, whenever they presume to examine the Illegality of ministerial Mandates, or deliberate on the violated Rights of their Constituents, and by breaking in upon the American Charters, to reduce us to a State of Desperation, and dissolve the original Compacts by which our Ancestors bound themselves and their Posterity to remain dependent upon the British Crown: which Measures, unless effectually counteracted, will end in the Ruin both of Great Britain and her Colonies.”

And there it is emphatically stated that they believed the British ministry was working systematically to destroy the colonies, to reduce them to a position of dependence on parliament, to wipe out their government, on the pretext that the colonies were trying to become independent. Though the colonies did not set out with a desire to become independent, they were gradually pushed into independence by Britain. This is the point of the Fairfax resolves. They left them no choice, either become slaves, or become independent, and they chose independent. And so they were saying ”It has been our desire to remain free subjects of King George, but a campaign to destroy American Independence is under way, to replace it with and arbitrary government with absolutism. And a campaign of slander has been launched against the colonies. Our charters, or our constitutions are being attacked by the British ministry. Their desire is to eliminate them, to wipe out our constitutions. And so they made it clear “If you continue in this course, you leave us colonies no choice other than submission or resistance. So don’t say we are working for independence, and that’s what we wanted all along, you are pushing us! Either to slavery or freedom.” And ten.

“10. Resolved that the several Acts of Parliament for raising a Revenue upon the People of America without their Consent, the creating new and dangerous Jurisdictions here, the taking away our Trials by Jury’s, the ordering Persons upon Criminal Accusations, to be tried in another Country than that in which the Fact is charged to have been committed, the Act inflicting ministerial Vengeance upon the Town of Boston, and the two Bills lately brought into Parliament for abrogating the Charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and for the Protection and Encouragement of Murderers in the said Province, are Part of the above mentioned iniquitous System. That the Inhabitants of the Town of Boston are now suffering in the common Cause of all British America, and are justly entitled to its Support and Assistance; and therefore that a Subscription ought immediately to be opened, and proper Persons appointed, in every County of this Colony to purchase Provisions, and consign them to some Gentleman of Character in Boston, to be distributed among the poorer Sort of People there.”

Now the tenth resolve says that parliament first of all is going to destroy American self-government. Second it says that they are trying to create new jurisdictions, to abolish trial by jury, and instead of trying people in their colonies, to try them in England where they cannot defend themselves. And third, that military intervention and invasion has been accompanied with these efforts, and Boston has suffered. In early 1774, before the Fairfax Resolves, there had been the quartering act. It called for the requisition of buildings and colonies for the use of Royal Troops. And General Gage had replaced Hutchinson as Governor of Massachusetts, Our northern province, and had appeared in Boston with 4 regiments from England, to enforce the acts for Parliament. In other words they had been invaded by British troops. Their own Governor had been set aside. And so the people of Fairfax county were very much concerned. Now we’re going to learn more about quartering act when we deal with the Declaration of Independence. It was one of the most horrible instruments of oppression in those days. This is why the Bill of Rights forbids the quartering of troops. Does anyone know what the quartering of troops meant? Yes. (Indiscernible response) Yes. Now consider what this would mean if somebody brought in troops, and the soldiers in those days were very often the dregs of the slums, the worst characters imaginable, if they put their troops in your home, and those men could do as they pleased, and if you resisted them you could be shot for it. It could mean the rape of the women in the family, the commitment of adultery, and that sort of thing did regularly happen. As a matter of fact, this is how Louis the 14th worked to destroy the Hugenots.

He gave the Huguenots so much time to become Catholics, and if they did not become Catholic ?Indiscernible? He was going to quarter troops in every home. Well this meant that the Huguenots either had to leave the country immediately, or else profess a nominal conversion to the Catholicism while they would have these troops quartered on them, and they knew what that meant. ?Satan as a guest? Ah. You can see what a fearful thing was throughout the American colonies when they were told troops were going to be quartered on you. Now the eleventh resolve.

“11. Resolved that we will cordially join with our Friends and Brethren of this and the other Colonies, in such Measures as shall be judged most effectual for procuring Redress of our Grievances, and that upon obtaining such Redress if the Destruction of the Tea at Boston be regarded as an Invasion of private Property, we shall be willing to contribute towards paying the East India Company the Value: but as we consider the said Company as the Tools and Instrument of Oppression in the Hands of Government and the Cause of our present Distress, it is the Opinion of this Meeting that the People of these Colonies should forbear all further Dealings with them, by refusing to purchase their Merchandize, until that Peace Safety and Good-order, which they have disturbed, be perfectly restored. And that all Tea now in this Colony, or which shall be imported into it shipped before the first Day of September next, should be deposited in some Store-house to be appointed by the respective Committees of each County, until a sufficient Sum of Money be raised by Subscription to reimburse the Owners the Value, and then to be publicly burned and destroyed; and if the same is not paid for and destroyed as aforesaid, that it remain in the Custody of the said Committees, at the Risk of the Owners, until the Act of Parliament imposing a Duty upon Tea for raising a Revenue in America be repealed; and immediately afterwards be delivered unto the several Proprietors thereof, their Agents or Attorneys.”

Now this is interesting, that even as they were talking about destroying the tea they were interested in preserving the private property rights of the owners of the tea. They felt the British Government was using this tea as a means of taxing the colonies, imposing a tax on them, destroying their own enterprise. But they were ready to reimburse when it was over they said those who owned the tea. They made clear “We have a respect for private property.” Then 12.

“12. Resolved that Nothing will so much contribute to defeat the pernicious Designs of the common Enemies of Great Britain and her Colonies as a firm Union of the latter; who ought to regard every Act of Violence or Oppression inflicted upon any one of them, as aimed at all; and to effect this desirable Purpose, that a Congress should be appointed, to consist of Deputies from all the Colonies, to concert a general and uniform Plan for the Defense and Preservation of our common Rights, and continuing the Connection and Dependence of the said Colonies upon Great Britain under a just, lenient, permanent, and constitutional Form of Government.”

Now here it was a call for a United States of America. In 1774, in the Fairfax County resolves, saying “Whether we have to fight and become independent, or whether it is merely to defend ourselves and force the British Crown to recognize our rights so we can be free men we need a United States. We need to come together, because we have the same common problem. The same problem. So they said we want to preserve our constitutional rights and our purpose for forming a United States will be to further our constitutional freedom. Whether or not we stay in the British Empire. Then 13:

“13. Resolved that our most sincere and cordial Thanks be given to the Patrons and Friends of Liberty in Great Britain, for their spirited and patriotic Conduct in Support of our constitutional Rights and Privileges, and their generous Efforts to prevent the present Distress and Calamity of America.”

Does anyone know what great member of parliament giving some tremendous speeches in favor of America? They had him in mind when the Fairfax men made this resolve. Edmund Burke. A very great Englishman. And in his speech on American Taxation, April 19 1774, Burke said “Nothing in the History of Mankind is like their progress” (That is, the progress of the American colonies) “Each colony has in effect sole ?composal? of her own internal government.” And Burke went on to say that after the French and Indian war, Britain had changed its attitude toward the colonies. Then the scheme of government, ?anew? in many things seems to have been adopted. And so Burke urged “Revert to your old principles. Seek peace and ensue it. Leave America, if she has ?taxful? matters in her, to tax herself.” And so there were many friends of the Americans in Parliament.” But the government was controlled by the King and his masters. Then 14.

“14. Resolved that every little jarring Interest and Dispute, which has ever happened between these Colonies, should be buried in eternal Oblivion; that all Manner of Luxury and Extravagance ought immediately to be laid aside, as totally inconsistent with the threatening and gloomy Prospect before us; that it is the indispensable Duty of all the Gentlemen and Men of Fortune to set Examples of Temperance, Fortitude, Frugality and Industry; and give every Encouragement in their Power, particularly by Subscriptions and Premiums, to the Improvement of Arts and Manufactures in America; that great Care and Attention should be had to the Cultivation of Flax, Cotton, and other Materials for Manufactures; and we recommend it to such of the Inhabitants who have large Stocks of Sheep, to sell to their Neighbors at a moderate Price, as the most certain Means of speedily increasing our Breed of Sheep, and Quantity of Wool.”

Now this is a very, very, interesting point. Remember we said mercantilism was the policy. So that, if you wanted to buy clothing you had to buy it from England. The idea that the colonists made their own clothing is nonsense. They bought it from England. They sent the cotton and the wool to England, it was made into cloth, made into dresses and suits, and then brought bake here and sold. Well now that meant that when they went to war they would have no source of clothing. As a matter of fact during the war, some of the slaves during the hot weather went virtually naked. The worn out clothes weren’t handed down to them anymore because everybody was having to wear their clothes. So the Fairfax resolves said that “We must therefore work to develop our own arts and industry. Our own arts plants. And they did. To us there is a very remarkable story about one young man in New England who had to go to war. He was volunteering as a soldier, you provided your own uniform, and his family went to work. They sheered some of the sheep, they turned it into thread, they wove it, and they made it into a garment, so this took about 48 hours. All the women folk were working around the clock. Now this was new work to them, they were not used to doing this. They had been buying all of their clothes. So consider what it would be like if suddenly the only way you could have clothing would be to gout if you had a farm and sheer the sheep and do everything from there on to provide your own clothing.

So they were up against it. It was either that or have nothing. And they did it. So this is one of the very remarkable stories of the War of Independence, In which the women folk went to work, and they developed these things of which they had no knowledge of. And the spinning wheel came back into fashion suddenly. They had to have something like that. Then the fifteenth resolve.

“15. Resolved that until American Grievances be redressed, by Restoration of our just Rights and Privileges, no Goods or Merchandize whatsoever ought to be imported into this Colony, which shall be shipped from Great Britain or Ireland after the first Day of September next, except Linens not exceeding fifteen Pence [per] yard, (German Oznabrigs) coarse woolen Cloth, not exceeding two Shillings sterling [per] Yard, Nails Wire, and Wire-Cards, Needles & Pins, Paper, Salt Petre, and Medicines; which [three Articles only] may be imported until the first Day of September, one thousand seven hundred and seventy six; and if any Goods or Merchandize, other than those hereby excepted, should be shipped from Great Britain, {or Ireland} after the time aforesaid, to this Colony, that the same, immediately upon their Arrival, should either be sent back again, by the Owners their Agents or Attorney’s, or stored and deposited in some Ware-house, to be appointed by the Committee for each respective County, and there kept, at the Risk and Charge of the Owners, to be delivered to them, when a free Importation of Goods hither shall again take Place. And that the Merchants and Venders of Goods and Merchandize within this Colony ought not to take Advantage of our present Distress but continue to sell the Goods and Merchandize which they now have, or which may be shipped to them before the first Day of September next, at the same Rates and Prices they have been accustomed to do, within one Year last past; and if any Person shall sell such Goods on any other Terms than above expressed, that no Inhabitant of this Colony should at any time, forever thereafter, deal with him, his Agent, Factor, or Store keepers for any Commodity whatsoever.”

Now this was common sense thinking. These were practical men. They knew how dependent they were on the colonies. So they said “We have set up a date. After that date we will buy these English bills. But after that date we will not. So if there is something like needles or cloth that you need, get it now. After that we are going to dependent on our own resources, until such a time as the British Crown changes its policies. Now they were afraid that Britain would not. They were quite aware of how hostile the British were to any American Independence. An English scholar last century has said and I quote: “The way in which English statesmen looked on our colonies in the last century was that they owed everything to England. And that therefore it was only fair that they be exploited in the interest of the mother country.” Total exploitation. And the men of Fairfax knew it. So they said: “When we ?revolt? in effect we don’t expect a change to come about. These men are not likely to change unless their back is to the wall. We had better be prepared for a long, long period of trouble, probably war. Maybe a turning and a change ensues. But in any case let us be practical, and let us prepare.” The English felt that the colonies had not right to any economic freedom and Independence. And because the American Colonies were gaining increasing economic independence, They felt it was necessary to destroy their political independence, or else the colonies would become more and more free of Britain. And the result surprised them, because they did not expect the colonies to secede. One scholar in Canada has said upon the conclusion of the war, and I quote: “What was Britain’s surprise after the ?apparent? and revolution, to find that the independent and prosperous United States was a far better customer than the closely regulated thirteen colonies had ever been.”

In other words as a free people they were better customers than they had been as a subject people. Then the 16th resolve.

“16. Resolved that it is the Opinion of this Meeting, that the Merchants and Venders of Goods and Merchandize within this Colony should take an Oath, not to sell or dispose of any Goods or Merchandize whatsoever, which may be shipped from Great Britain {or Ireland} after the first Day of September next as aforesaid, except the (three) Articles before excepted, and that they will, upon Receipt of such prohibited Goods, either send the same back again by the first Opportunity, or deliver them to the Committees in the respective County’s, to be deposited in some Warehouse, at the Risk and Charge of the Owners, until they, their Agents or Factors be permitted to take them away by the said Committees: the Names of those who refuse to take such Oath to be advertised by the respective Committees in the County’s wherein they reside. And to the End that the Inhabitants of this Colony may know what Merchants, and Venders of Goods and Merchandise have taken such Oath, that the respective Committees should grant a Certificate thereof to every such Person who shall take the same.”

Now this was such plain hard common sense. They said that “If any business man won’t play game with us, then we’re going to advertise that fact. After all Britain is taking economic reprisals against us, this is warfare. So any business man who will work with Britain, we’re going to advertise who they are. Because, if they are out to destroy us, we’re going to be out to destroy them. Now that’s good, hard, sense. In a time of war, you don’t help the enemy. The seventeenth resolve.

“17. Resolved that it is the Opinion of this Meeting, that during our present Difficulties and Distress, no Slaves ought to be imported into any of the British Colonies on this Continent; and we take this Opportunity of declaring our most earnest Wishes to see an entire Stop for ever put to such a wicked cruel and unnatural Trade.”

Now again this is something you’re never told. Here is Virginia, before the war begins, coming out strongly against slavery. There was strong anti-slavery sentiments in the colonies. Now South Carolina was the violently pro-slavery state. But at one time, ? ______ ? abolish slavery. Again this is not something you hear about. The only reason it was not abolished was they didn’t know what to do with them after they had abolished them. This was the problem for the southerners. And again and again they said to the abolitionists, “Look, if you have an answer for what to do with them, please tell us.” And of course there was no answer that anyone had to offer. The vice president of this confederacy, Alexander Hamilton Stephens, described the situation in Georgia at the outbreak of the civil war as anti-slavery. And he said “eight tenths would’ve abolished slavery, if they could’ve seen what better they could do with the colored people than they were doing.” Now remember, in the south only one out of 17 men had slaves. One out of 17. Now do you think those 16 men were likely to be pro slavery? The 16 white men who didn’t have slaves? They were naturally anti slaves. The 18th resolve.

“18. Resolved that no kind of Lumber should be exported from this Colony to the West Indies, until America be restored to her constitutional Rights and Liberties if the other Colonies will accede to a like Resolution; and that it be recommended to the general Congress to appoint as early a Day as possible for stopping such Export.”

The West Indies were very important to both France and Great Britain, and they knew that if they exported to the West Indies, Great Britain would of course be able to get the lumber. They wanted to keep the lumber from getting to Britain, the lumber was very important to the British economy, the British ships, you see, were being built, and the masts, masts were extremely important for ships, depended on American timber. Then the 18th resolve.

“19. Resolved that it is the Opinion of this Meeting, if American Grievances be not redressed before the first Day of November one thousand seven hundred and seventy five, that all Exports of Produce from the several Colonies to Great Britain {or Ireland} should cease; and to carry the said Resolution more effectually into Execution, that we will not plant or cultivate any Tobacco, after the Crop now growing; provided the same Measure shall be adopted by the other Colonies on this Continent, as well those who have heretofore made Tobacco, as those who have not. And it is our Opinion also, if the Congress of Deputies from the several Colonies shall adopt the Measure of Non-exportation to Great Britain, as the People will be thereby disabled from paying their Debts, that no Judgments should be rendered by the Courts in the said Colonies for any Debt, after Information of the said Measure's being determined upon.”

In other words, “We will no longer produce crops that are to be shipped to England, and therefore this will cause great economic dislocation. And so, there will be a debt moratorium, if all the colonies will agree to this.” During the war the Continental Congress did call for boycotts. And to a large extent for a time, there were no Payments of debt. Now this was a help to irresponsible people in that they did not have to pay debts during the war years, and many of the irresponsible people became pro American instead of pro loyalist as a result. But all the same it was necessary. The economy of the various colonies was severely dislocated. And the courts more or less ceased to function, so that you had a serious cessation of local government during the war years. They were a battle grounds, each of the colonies, and as a result there was very little in the way of effective government. We fail to realize how, when a country becomes a battle ground, normal life ceases. A few years ago I met a young woman, well, not to young, but she was a war bride from the Netherlands. She had married an American serviceman. And she had been a schoolgirl when the war broke out, at approximately junior high age. Now that was at 39, the war was over at 46, 45 to 6, depending on the area. It took many years. It meant that during her junior and senior high school years, and part of her college years she had no schooling. There were no schools operating, it was occupied territory. It was a battle ground, controlled and occupied territory. And so the interesting thing was that I knew more about what she had experienced than she did. She knew very little about her history. Consider what would happen if for four years or six years, or seven years, Virginia had no schools open? The extent to which everyone today would be ignorant of American history and Virginia history. War creates many spheres of dislocation. And that’s why wars are so very dangerous. When a war is over conditions are very, very, different than they were before. Now this is a fact that politicians in recent years have realized. And therefore they have become very emphatically pro war in that respect. They realize that a war is a means of conducting a revolution. In effect, the United States had a revolution in 1917 and 18. A tremendous centralization of government, so that after the First World War, the country was not same as it was before. The 2nd World War was the same thing, the powers of the government were tremendously increased. The Korean War and the Vietnam War were again the same thing. You see, modern warfare especially, since it requires far more in the way of expenditures and controls of the people, is a form of revolution. It is exceedingly dangerous for a modern country to go to war; it means a loss of liberties for the people in most cases. The 20th Resolve, and the 21st. We’ll read them both together.

20. Resolved that it is the Opinion of this Meeting that a solemn Covenant and Association should be entered into by the Inhabitants of all the Colonies upon Oath, that they will not, after the Times which shall be respectively agreed on at the general Congress, export any Manner of Lumber to the West Indies, nor any of their Produce to Great Britain {or Ireland}, or sell or dispose of the same to any Person who shall not have entered into the said Covenant and Association; and also that they will no import or receive any Goods or Merchandize which shall be shipped from Great Britain {or Ireland} after the first Day of September next, other than the before enumerated Articles, nor buy or purchase any Goods, except as before excepted, of any Person whatsoever, who shall not have taken the Oath herein before recommended to be taken by the Merchants and Venders of Goods nor buy or purchase any Slaves hereafter imported into any Part of this Continent until a free Exportation and Importation be again resolved on by a Majority of the Representatives or Deputies of the Colonies. And that the respective Committees of the County’s, in each Colony so soon as the Covenant and Association becomes general, publish by Advertisements in their several Counties {and Gazettes of their Colonies}, a List of the Names of those (if any such there be) who will not accede thereto; that such Traitors to their Country may be publicly known and detested.

21. Resolved that it is the Opinion of this Meeting, that this and the other associating Colonies should break off all Trade, Intercourse, and Dealings, with that Colony Province or Town which shall decline or refuse to agree to the Plan which shall be adopted by the general Congress.”

Well, at this point the colonies did not go along with the Fairfax resolve. During the war they traded very actively with the enemy. They figured “Here’s a good chance to make money. After all, the British troops are a long way from home, and it is a lot cheaper for them to buy their goods from us than to buy them from Britain and ship them here. Now this was of course extremely selfish on their part. But they still had an important fact. You see what the men of Fairfax in these resolves did not realize was that though in a sense trading with the enemy was against Colonial interests, but trading with the enemy was always a profitable thing. And, a great deal of the wealth of Britain flowed to America as a result. And the British banks were very much in danger of collapsing time and again, because since the general troops found we can buy the goods a little more cheaply here, we will buy them here. So they had to send to England, by ship, for money, which meant gold. And America was literally awash with gold, during the war. Now the Continental Congress didn’t get it because they didn’t have any taxes. But the people of the colonies really got rich. So After the war, when the country was free it began as a rich people, which is more important than having a rich government. Our government today is very rich, because it is taking it out of our pockets in the form of exorbitant taxes. So, trading with the enemy was an important thing for getting the new country started. If there had not been this trade with the enemy, after the war the United States would’ve been de capitalized. Now you cannot begin any kind of industry, any kind of work if you are de-capitalized. Remember last night when we were dealing with mercantilism, I mentioned the grown of the frontier; I said that for anyone to move west in those days meant two years capital. Two years capital. Consider what it meant for immigrants to come to this country. Moving westward instead of staying in New York or Boston. It meant that they had to come with capital. How did they get that capital? Well, very often they left the old country for religious reasons or political reasons, because of the tyranny there, or to escape a draft, because many of the people who came to this country came from Germany. They came here because they resented the draft and the tyranny of the draft, a very cruel draft of the German state. And so, they would pick up everything, sell everything, and come here. Now very often the wife’s salary was the money with which they could move westward and buy land where they could live for a couple years until they got going. It takes capital to start any kind of enterprise. If we de-capitalize a country, you destroy its potential. It isn’t enough to say that if you turn lose some people on a very marvelous continent, or in beautiful country, and say “Ok, go to work and let’s make something out of this.” Two things are required to develop any area. Work and capital. Work and capital. Yes. (Indiscernable question) Well, some did. Some did. But when they came over poor, they worked here for somebody else, until they accumulated the capital and moved westward you see. Now in many cases, well, the early Puritans and the pilgrims were well to do people by and large. They were middle class people. But one of the problems in South America is of course there’s a very rich continent down there, consider Brazil. Brazil has the potential to be one of the richest countries in the world. There is the unwillingness to work, and the lack of capitalization. Because what money they have they spend on pleasure. And the result is that the areas of Brazil that are really booming are the protestant areas. Because there is the Puritan sense of thrift there.

Another tremendously wealthy country which could be today the richest country in the world is the Soviet Union. But there’s no capitalization. And also there is no real work, because even if they work hard there, without capitalization they can do nothing. And so they get nowhere. We even have an account from one of the early French travelers, who came here, how the American’s who went westwards went with all kinds of capital. First of all their capital would be tools. You carried with you as you traveled say, in the early days to Kentucky, axes, saws, hammers, nails, every kind of tool imaginable. Now that’s one form of capital. Then you take money, so that you could live until you cleared a parcel of land and developed it. So, true, some who went westward were very poor. But they went to work in Baltimore, or New York, or Boston, or wherever they landed, and earned money, and then went out to the land. Capital and work. Those are the two things necessary. The romantic idea of people who went out with nothing but there hands and accomplished something--- it is a romantic idea, it has no relationship to reality. It’s a good thing at this point that the Fairfax Resolves were not followed. The people did trade with the enemy and accumulated capital. This is why the young country took off so well. They had so many foreign coins here, they were trading with the French, with the Spanish with the English, that when the Constitution says that “Congress shall have a right to coin money and to establish weights and values thereof” what it meant was that up until the civil war, a lot of the money that was floating around in this country was foreign money. If sometime you can see from the advertisements, the 1820’s, 30’s, 40’s, you’ll be surprised that you’ll see the price listed in shillings sometimes, or in Spanish dollars. Why? Because so much of that coinage was floating around. So if you gave the price of something you would give it in two or three kinds of money, because they were all good, and you would receive all of them. And you received them in terms of weights and measures. So that, let us assume Dave here was a business man, in Fairfax county in 1830 or 40. He would have, if he didn’t know it by heart, a list of the weights in Gold, Brass, and Silver grains. All the French, Spanish and English coins. If he knew it by heart he might even know Dutch, as after all New York was a Dutch state, there was a lot of Dutch coin floating around and there might even be some down here to. So that immediately you would know the price of something in American dollars, in British Sovereigns, in Spanish milled dollars, In French Franks, and in Dutch Guilders. This was a matter of course. And most people would know the same thing, and would use those coins in exchange for goods. Now one of the things that was common in those days to was the right to print your own money. Did you know that right was only eliminated by congress a hundred years ago? In California there was a great deal of privately minted money. Now if you minted a bad coin it wouldn’t move, and they would say “Oh well, John Doe there is producing coins that are no good. Don’t take his money. But if Moffat and company, that was one of the companies that was making gold coins, if they were making good coins everybody would say “I want Moffat’s Coins.” Now in the early days of California after the Gold rush, there would there was practically no American money printed in California, they were way out there in the wilderness, at the other end of the country. So what did they do? Individuals or companies began minting their own coins. Gold coins. They are worth a lot of money today. And everybody preferred them. As a matter of fact a little after the war when they were making greenbacks, if you went to California and you had a wad of greenbacks, and you went into a store and bought something with a greenback, you bought it once. They didn’t want the greenbacks. So the next time you went into the store and tried to buy something, you’d get “sorry, we’re all out.”

“But I see them over there, a whole stack of them.” “Well, we’re sorry, they are all spoken for.” They didn’t want your paper. They had to take it according to the government. But the next time they were all out of everything you wanted. So if you wanted to back there and buy something you’d better go out and work for some gold money, and then go back jingling the gold coins and say “I’m here to buy something.” Well, we have just a few minutes, so let’s go ahead with the last three of the resolves. Beginning with the 22nd.

“22. Resolved that should the Town of Boston be forced to submit to the late cruel and oppressive Measures of Government, that we shall not hold the same to be binding upon us, but will, notwithstanding, religiously maintain, and inviolably adhere to such Measures as shall be concerted by the general Congress, for the preservation of our Lives, Liberties and Fortunes.”

In other words if they conquered Boston by an invasion the men of Fairfax said their resistance would continue. And then they declared in conclusion the last two.

“23. Resolved that it be recommended to the Deputies of the general Congress to draw up and transmit an humble and dutiful Petition and Remonstrance to his Majesty, asserting with decent Firmness our just and constitutional Rights and Privileges, lamenting the fatal Necessity of being compelled to enter into Measures disgusting to his Majesty and his Parliament, or injurious to our fellow Subjects in Great Britain; declaring, in the strongest Terms, our Duty and Affection to his Majesty's Person, Family and Government, and our Desire to continue our Dependence upon Great Britain; and most humbly conjuring and beseeching his Majesty, not to reduce his faithful Subjects of America to a State of desperation, and to reflect, that from our Sovereign there can be but one Appeal. And it is the Opinion of this Meeting that after such Petition and Remonstrance shall have been presented to his Majesty; the same should be printed in the public Papers, in all the principal Towns in Great Britain.

24. Resolved that George Washington Esquire, and George Broadwater Gent. lately elected our Representatives to serve in the general Assembly, be appointed to attend the Convention at Williamsburg on the first Day of August next, and present these Resolves, as the Sense of the People of this County, upon the Measures proper to be taken in the present alarming and dangerous Situation of America.”

Now, this document is important to understanding the War of Independence. The Fairfax resolves make it clear that the American colonies were never under England or under English rule. They simply had a common monarch in King George the Third. They went to war at the attempt of the English Parliament to strip them of their Independence. And they declared emphatically that this colony and dominion of Virginia can never be considered a conquered territory. And as it was that the present inhabitants are descendants not of the conquered but of the conquerors. A very important document. We’ve given some time to consider it in detail, as I said we will consider this and the Declaration of Independence in some detail. It is important in order to understand the constitutional grounds for war. Are there any questions? We have about a minute and a half. Yes. (Indiscernible Question) Yes. Well, trade with the Soviet Union would be good if it were honest trade. If it were gold. But today our trade… We have no trade with the Soviet Union, but we have our subsidies to the Soviet Union at the expense of the American taxpayer. (Indiscernible Question) Just… Okay. Yes. Well, the answer to that is, that if we’ve given the technology in arms, for the most part they already have everything we have, they get it for nothing, they steal it, we might as well get some money for it. A very important book, National Suicide by Anthony Sutton goes into the fact that they have already your technology. Virtually all Soviet technology, at least %90, perhaps close to a hundred, has been gained from foreign countries, predominantly the United States. Why not get some money for it? Gold? It’s a much more honest basis. In other words economics should not be governed by politics. Well, our time is up.