The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/604650
FALL 2015 23 Honoring Our Colonial Ancestors If you are an American and a direct male descendant of someone who rendered civil or military service in one of the 13 American colonies before July 4, 1776, consider joining the NATIONAL SOCIETY SONS OF THE AMERICAN COLONISTS. For information on its activities and eligibility requirements, contact: Registrar General R.D. Pollock P.O. Box 86 Urbana, OH 43078-0086 www.americancolonists.org COMPATRIOTS! You MaY Be eligiBle for MeMBership in a VerY select order numerous sar members are already affiliated coMpatriots! Eligibility founding ancestor prior to 1657 and a revolutionary War patriot in the same male line. Male line may be from: (1) father's father; (2) Mother's father; (3) father's Maternal grandfather; (4) Maternal grandfather of Mother's father; (5) Maternal grandfather of father's father. for information, contact: daniel c. Warren 1512 steuben road gloucester point, Va 23062 or www.founderspatriots.org knowing seditious acts could fnd a person on the wrong end of a rope. Darnall decided the county clerk's offce would not conduct any offcial business until the proper paper was received from England. Darnall's decision brought the commercial and legal commerce of Frederick County to a halt. The clerk's defance of the justices and refusal to conduct the court's business triggered a quick reaction from the justices. They ordered him to proceed with his duties without the stamped paper. Darnall, who apparently feared the King's wrath more than the court's, refused. On Nov. 18, 1765, the justices ordered Darnall arrested. He was to be "committed to the custody of this County" until he complied with the court's order. As it turned out, a night in Sheriff George Murdock's "care" was enough to convince Darnall to accept the Court's ruling. He paid his charges and was released. On Nov. 23, 1765, the full court issued its formal, unanimous ruling. Using a cleverly nuanced approach to the issue, the justices stated "that all proceedings shall be valid without the use of stamps" because, frstly, a "legal publication" of "any Act of Parliament" had not been made and secondly, there was no stamped paper in "this Province and the Inhabitants have no means of Procuring any." The much-despised Stamp Act had "received a mortal wound at the hands of justice." The Frederick County judges, later honored as the "Twelve Immortals," had just repudiated an Act of Parliament. Their courageous action has often been memorialized in Maryland. The "Genius of Liberty" displayed by these 12 men epitomized the feelings of independence and patriotism beginning to rise in the hearts of many Americans. There is evidence to suggest the decision of the justices was not a spontaneous event. Darnall had served in that capacity as court clerk since the founding of the county in 1748. One of the sitting magistrates for the November 1765 Court Term was James Dickson, who was Darnall's son-in-law. As Millard M. Rice points out in his book This Was the Life, a careful reading of the court proceedings prior to Nov. 18, 1765 shows no evidence of anyone at the Frederick County Court having a concern about conducting legal business without the Stamp Act paper. The justices selected one seemingly insignifcant case on which to make their ruling. The justices refer to "this Province," implying an expansion beyond the boundaries of Frederick County, and an indication there may have been others, at a higher level of government, involved in formulating the decision. One can speculate the justices, besides seeking an opportunity to snub the Stamp Act, also were providing Darnall some political cover by "forcing" him to accept the court's ruling. Whatever their underlying motivation, the judges' ruling set off rejoicing by the residents of Frederick Town, whose celebration was highlighted by an elaborate funeral procession. Led by the "Colours of the Towns Company" and drummers, the townspeople carried a large banner followed by a coffn covered in anti- Stamp Act slogans. This was followed by an effgy of Zachariah Hood, "the sole mourner," and the Sons of Liberty "two and two." The Frederick Town citizenry symbolically laid to rest the corpse of the Stamp Act—age 22 days. Another attempt was made to deliver the stamped paper in December when the brig, HM Hawke, under Captain John Brown, anchored at Annapolis. Again, with no one authorized to receive it, Gov. Sharpe opted to leave the goods on board the ship. Sharpe understood he did not have the military force necessary to prevent an insurrection. Stamped "paper, parchment or vellum," as defned by the Stamp Act of 1765, was never used in Maryland. The violent and widespread Colonial reaction to the Stamp Act surprised most members of Parliament. However, the detrimental impact the Stamp Act was having in England eventually forced Parliament to reconsider the despised legislation. Boycotts of British goods, originally instituted in response to the previous year's Sugar Act, were beginning to have a signifcant fnancial impact on British businesses. Parliament was now besieged from both sides of the Atlantic to repeal the Stamp Act. On Feb. 21, 1766, Parliament acceded to the growing demands and George III gave his formal acceptance on March 18, 1766. Parliament, displaying an indifference to events abroad, continued efforts to impose its will on the Colonies. In conjunction with the repeal of the Stamp Act, Parliament enacted the Declaratory Act. The act stated that Parliament could institute whatever laws it saw ft in the Colonies. In 1767, it passed the Townshend Acts, a series of laws designed to set a precedent for taxing the Colonials. Protests again erupted. British troops were garrisoned in some cities in an attempt to quell disturbances but the series of events that would unfold from this point forward would lead the Americans to declare, and fght for, complete independence.