Patrick Henry's speech on the Virginia Resolves (an 1851 painting by Peter F. Rothermel)

The Virginia Resolves were a series of resolutions passed by the Virginia General Assembly in response to the Stamp Act of 1765. The Stamp Act had been passed by the British Parliament to help pay off some of its debt from its various wars, including the French and Indian War ostensibly fought to protect the American colonies. The resolution protested a tax imposed by the British government without the consent of the Virginia legislature and governor. The Virginia Colony's charter and previous practice did not allow the British Parliament and Crown to impose taxes directly on the colony. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (580x750, 116 KB) Summary From: http://cgfa. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (580x750, 116 KB) Summary From: http://cgfa. ... The Virginia General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Virginia. ... Jump to: navigation, search A Stamp Act is a law enacted by a government that requires tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents such as property deeds. ... Jump to: navigation, search The French and Indian War is the American name for the decisive nine-year conflict (1754-1763) in North America between the Kingdom of Great Britain and France, which was one of the theatres of the Seven Years War. ... The 1609 charter for the Virginia colony from sea to sea The Virginia Colony refers to the English colony in North America that existed during the 17th and 18th centuries before the American Revolution. ...

Patrick Henry made one of his famous speeches before the Virginia House of Burgesses to encourage the passage of the resolutions. Henry said "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I his Cromwell, and George III... (Henry was interrupted by cries from the opposition)… may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it." (Some historians consider the last sentence to be a later fabrication). Jump to: navigation, search Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was a prominent figure in the American Revolution, known and remembered primarily for his stirring oratory. ... The House of Burgesses was the name given to the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. ...

Henry had waited for most of the more conservative members of the assembly to be away before submitting the resolves. The Burgesses generally voted along geographic lines with eastern Virginians opposing the resolves and central Virginians supporting them.

According to several sources, the passage of the Virginia resolves set off the general opposition to the Stamp Act. Governor Hutchinson of Massachusetts stated that "Nothing extravagant appeared in the papers till an account was received of the Virginia Resolves." Later Edmund Burke linked the resolves with the beginning of the opposition to the stamp act that would contribute to the American Revolution. Jump to: navigation, search Edmund Burke The Right Honourable Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729 – July 9, 1797) was an Anglo-Irish statesman, author, orator and political philosopher, who served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the Whig party. ...

External links

• Text of the Virginia Resolves