Virginia Resolves facts for kids

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

The Virginia Resolves were important statements made by the Virginia government in 1765. They were a strong response to a new tax law from Great Britain called the Stamp Act. This law made colonists pay a special tax on many printed items, like newspapers and legal papers. The British Parliament created this tax to help pay off debts from wars, including the French and Indian War.

The Virginia Resolves said that only Virginia's own elected leaders could tax its people. This was because Virginians did not have representatives in the British Parliament. They believed that taxing people without their consent was against long-standing British law. Other colonies also disagreed with the Stamp Act. Nine of them sent representatives to the Stamp Act Congress in New York to protest the tax together. Virginia could not send anyone because its governor stopped them.

What Were the Virginia Resolves?

The Virginia Resolves were a set of rules or statements passed by the House of Burgesses, which was Virginia's elected assembly. These statements declared that the people of Virginia had the same rights as people living in Great Britain. A key right was that they could only be taxed by their own elected representatives. Since Virginians did not elect members to the British Parliament, they argued that Parliament could not tax them. Only the Virginia General Assembly had that power.

Why Was the Stamp Act a Problem?

The Stamp Act was a big deal because it was a "direct tax." This meant people had to pay it directly when they bought certain items. Before this, most taxes were on trade, like goods coming into ports. The Stamp Act made many everyday items more expensive. For example, newspapers, playing cards, and legal documents all needed a special stamp that showed the tax was paid. This tax was meant to help Britain pay for its wars, but colonists felt it was unfair. They believed it took away their freedom to govern themselves.

Patrick Henry's Bold Speech

On May 29, 1765, a young lawyer named Patrick Henry gave a very famous speech in the House of Burgesses. He spoke passionately to convince the leaders to pass the Virginia Resolves. During his speech, he compared King George III to past rulers who had faced rebellion. He said, "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles I his Cromwell, and George III... may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it." Some people in the room shouted "Treason!" because they thought he was speaking against the King. Henry then calmed the situation a bit.

The leaders in the House of Burgesses voted on the resolves. People from eastern Virginia usually voted against them, while those from central Virginia supported them. After the vote, Patrick Henry left Williamsburg, Virginia quickly. He worried that powerful members of the House might try to arrest him.

The next day, with Henry gone, some leaders tried to remove the resolves from the official record. However, Henry's supporters managed to keep the first four resolutions. Only the fifth, more radical resolution, was removed.

How the Resolves Spread the Word

Even though only four resolves were officially passed, newspapers helped spread the word about all of them. In late June, the Newport Mercury newspaper was the first to print the Virginia Resolves. Other newspapers soon followed. Interestingly, these newspapers often included the fifth resolution that had been removed. Some even added a sixth and seventh resolution that were never officially voted on. It's still debated where these extra resolutions came from. Some people think they were part of Patrick Henry's original ideas.

The publishing of the Virginia Resolves made many colonists very angry about the Stamp Act. Some people at the time believed that these resolves helped start the Stamp Act Riots, which were protests against the tax. Governor Thomas Hutchinson of Massachusetts said that nothing extreme happened until news of the Virginia Resolves arrived. Later, a British politician named Edmund Burke connected the resolves to the beginning of the protests that led to the American Revolution.

Main Ideas of the Virginia Resolves

Here are the main ideas from the Virginia Resolves that were officially passed by the House of Burgesses on May 29, 1765:

• The first settlers of Virginia and all their descendants have the same freedoms and rights as people in Great Britain.
• King James I's royal charters (official documents) said that colonists had all the rights of British citizens, just as if they were born in England.
• The only way to have fair taxes is for people to be taxed by themselves, or by people they choose to represent them. These representatives know what taxes people can afford and how to raise them fairly. This is a key part of British freedom.
• The people of Virginia have always had the right to be governed by their own laws and taxes, with the King's approval. This right has never been given up.

There was also a fifth resolution that was passed but then removed the next day. It said that only the Virginia General Assembly had the right to tax the people of the colony. Any attempt by others to do so would destroy British and American freedom.

Additional Resolutions That Were Published

When the Virginia Resolves were printed in colonial newspapers, they often included two more resolutions that were never officially passed by the House of Burgesses:

• This resolution stated that the people of Virginia did not have to obey any law that taxed them, unless it came from their own General Assembly.
• This resolution said that anyone who spoke or wrote that someone other than the General Assembly had the power to tax the colony should be seen as an enemy to Virginia.

It's not certain who wrote these two extra resolutions, but some believe they were part of Patrick Henry's first draft.

Images for kids

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