Even before the Declaration of Independence, the phrase of “No Taxation Without Representation” echoed among the American colonists as they were struggling to shrug-off the rule imposed by England:
“No taxation without representation” was a slogan in the period 1763-1775 that summarized a primary grievance of the American colonists in the Thirteen colonies. The colonists complained that taxes were imposed by Parliament without the consent of the colonists, which violated the traditional Rights of Englishmen dating back from the Magna Carta. The point was that the colonies had no representation in Parliament; the British responded that they were “virtually” represented. The Americans said these “virtual representatives” knew nothing about America. The Americans rejected the Stamp Act 1765 (which was repealed), and in 1773 violently rejected the tax on imports at the Boston Tea Party. When Great Britain began to crack down on the illegal activities performed by the colonists, the colonists formed militias and seized control of each colony, ousting the royal governors. The complaint was never officially over the amount of taxation (the taxes were quite low), but always on the decision-making process by which taxes were decided in London, without representation for the colonists in British Parliament. In February, 1775, Britain passed the Conciliatory Resolution which ended taxation for any colony which satisfactory provided for the imperial defense and the upkeep of imperial officers.
The phrase “No Taxation Without Representation!” was coined by Reverend Jonathan Mayhew in a sermon in Boston in 1750. By 1765 the term “no taxation without representation” was in use in Boston, but no one is sure who first used it. Boston politician James Otis was most famously associated with the term, “taxation without representation is tyranny.” [1]
By the 1760s the Americans came to believe they were being deprived of a historic right.[2] LINK
The above statement which the American Colonists repeatedly alleged is now as germane today as it was in 1763. The American people no longer are “represented” by their government, but are ordered by a Congress and Presidency to part with their hard-earned money with virtually little or no actual representation. Many will say that’s not true, that our elected officials and Congress represent the people, but in today’s society, it’s apparent that our government only represents the wealthy, special interest groups, and above all, corporations - which have assumed an almost God-like influence in the governance of this nation.
The United States, contrary to what President Bush and the religious-right allege, is not a “Christian Nation” - and in fact was spelled-out by the United States Government when the Treaty of Tripoli was ratified by the United States on June 10, 1797:
Article 11 reads:
“As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.” LINK
Further, if we examine the Constitution and the history of when “God” appeared in our government, it was far after the Founding Fathers had passed from this earth. The below represents a very short synopsis of God and the Constitution, and is extremely telling: (Excerpts)
Please reread the Constitution, religion is only mentioned in exclusionary terms. The words “Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible, and God” are never mentioned. The pledge (of allegiance), written in 1892 did not have “One nation under God” until 1954, and “In God we trust” did not appear until 1864, well after the Founding Fathers had passed, and did not appear on all (Currency?) until after 1957. LINK
Even more fascinating is that the “Pledge of Allegiance” was not written by the government, but was in fact an advertising tool to help a youth group sell flags:
The Pledge of Allegiance was written for the popular kid’s magazine Youth’s Companion by Christian Socialist author and Baptist minister Francis Bellamy on September 7, 1892. The owners of Youth’s Companion were selling flags to schools, and approached Bellamy to write the Pledge for their advertising campaign. (Emphasis added.) It was marketed as a way to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus arriving in the Americas and was first published on the following day.
Bellamy’s original Pledge read as follows: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and was seen by some as a call for national unity and wholeness after the divisive Civil War. The pledge was supposed to be quick and to the point. Bellamy designed it to be stated in 15 seconds. He had initially also considered using the words equality and fraternity but decided they were too controversial since many people still opposed equal rights for women and blacks. Bellamy said that the purpose of the pledge was to teach obedience to the state as a virtue.[citation needed] LINK
Fast-forward to modern times, and the principle of separation of church and state was well spelled out by our own government, and the below quote is from USINFO.STATE.GOV:
Separation of Church and State in the U.S.
Courts, politicians continue to debate meaning
By Alexandra Abboud
Washington File Staff WriterWashington — “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,” reads the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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