The World Economic Forum is calling for more direct action to end the pending food crisis. Amazing how that is timed with Oregon and Idaho water restrictions and Michigan Avian Flu crisis. Want fries with the grasshopper burger?
May 1774
https://www.ouramericanrevolution.org/index.cfm/page/view/m0071
declaring that the government of Massachusetts Bay, established by charter in 1691, was fundamentally flawed. It stated that amongst the charter’s most problematic components was the provision that allowed for the annual election by the provincial assembly of a twenty-eight-member panel that would sit as the upper body of the legislature and act as an advisory council to the governor. “The said method of electing such counselors” impeded “the maintenance of the just subordination to, and conformity with, the laws of Great Britain.”
The Massachusetts Government Act: This act effectively annulled the 1691 charter of Massachusetts Bay, drastically reducing self-governance in the colony. It replaced the elected council with one appointed by the Crown, gave the royal governor broad new powers (including appointing judges and sheriffs without council approval), and limited town meetings to once a year unless specifically approved by the governor. These measures were seen by colonists as a direct assault on representative government and colonial autonomy.
The Administration of Justice Act: Passed and given royal assent on the same day, this act allowed the royal governor to transfer the trials of British officials and soldiers accused of crimes in Massachusetts to another colony or to Great Britain, if he believed an impartial trial could not be had locally. This law was widely criticized by colonists as it undermined the right to a fair trial by local juries and was viewed as a way for British officials to escape justice.
A Long List Of New Laws: Shutting Down Freedom
The act restricted colonial town meetings by ordering that “the select men shall call no meeting…without the leave of the governor…in writing, expressing the special business of the said meeting.”2 Massachusetts residents viewed town meetings as vital to their right to self-governance. However, British authorities asserted that town meetings across the colony fomented rebellion and, thus, quickly moved to curtail its power.
It also shifted the selection of the Governor’s Council from the colonists to royal appointment. Allowing the king to appoint members ensured the council aligned with British interests rather than protecting Massachusetts’ best interests. The council served as an advisory body to the governor and was seen as a safeguard against excessive governmental intrusions.
The act empowered the Massachusetts military governor, General Thomas Gage, to appoint and remove government servants, including judges, the attorney general, justices of the peace, and other officials, without the consent of the Governor’s Council or the colonial legislature.
The Massachusetts Government Act, passed on May 20, 1774, fundamentally changed the structure of government in the Massachusetts Bay Colony by dismantling its tradition of self-governance and centralizing authority in the hands of the British-appointed governor.
Key Changes Introduced by the Act:
Revocation of the Charter: The act effectively abrogated the 1691 colonial charter, stripping Massachusetts of its traditional rights and privileges of self-government.
- Royal Control Over the Executive Council: Previously, members of the colony’s executive council were elected by the colonial legislature. The act transferred this power to the Crown, allowing the king to appoint and dismiss council members at will.
- Appointment of Local Officials: The governor, now empowered by the act, could appoint and remove judges, the attorney general, justices of the peace, sheriffs, and other officials without the consent of the Governor’s Council or the colonial legislature.
- Restriction of Town Meetings: The act forbade town meetings except for one annual meeting for the election of local officials, and any additional meetings required the governor’s explicit approval. This severely limited local participation in governance and the ability to discuss matters of public concern.
- Centralization of Power: By shifting the appointment of virtually all significant officials from local election to royal appointment, the act concentrated political power in the hands of the royal governor, General Thomas Gage, and removed most forms of democratic local control.
But There Was More To Follow From the Colonies
The goal of the Intolerable Acts was to make an example of the people of Boston and the Massachusetts colony. However, this did not isolate Massachusetts from the other colonies. It actually united the colonies against a common enemy. People living outside Massachusetts realized that they could be punished as harshly as the people of Massachusetts if they offended Parliament. In May 1774, the Virginia House of Burgesses was dissolved, or ended, by the Royal Governor of Virginia after showing support for Boston. In July 1774, George Washington and George Mason drafted the “Fairfax Resolves.” They spelled out the issues with Parliament and called for the meeting of a colonial congress. Other colonies adopted similar ideas.
They Say Life Is In Three Acts
0-30 is Act One
30-60 is Act Two
60 – ?? I Act Three
In general this means that for the first three decades of your life, you are building. Act Two is when you are now serious about your career, you have made others take note of your abilities and are now going to build on that start to grow your wealth, blaze a career. In Act Three, you are supposed to be reflective, because at this stage you have run the course of your productive years and this is the time slow down.
But …
