France Blois Quotes
No tax may be laid without the consent of the nation
The American Revolution’s ideas spread. This Cahier was the consensus of the Clergy of Blois in 1789. There were cahiers of several provinces of France—some by the clergy, some by the nobles. What is fascinating is the emergence of many of the pre-Revolutionary French concepts. The example of the American revolution and its principles was known throughout the educated classes of France.
Blois, France, Cahier of 1789
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
This was one of the first elucidations of this principle which became so important for the American union and Revolution. The 1754 debate was over Franklin's public effort for a Colonial Federation (see {37005}, {37006}, & {583424}). Shirley liked the idea but thought that the King of England should appoint the members of a Colonial Congress. This was Franklin's counter, arguing that each colony should elect its own members.
This was in effect a “Real Estate Promotional Document. Democracy, self government, and the right to set their own taxes were major selling points. See {611572} and {611571} for other “features.”
This Cahier was the consensus of the Clergy of Blois in 1789. There were cahiers of several provinces of France—some by the clergy, some by the nobles. What is fascinating is the emergence of many of the pre-revolutionary French concepts. The example of the American revolution and its principles was known throughout the educated classes of France.
The arbitrary tax that Britain had imposed in tea in America was protested, not only in Boston. This meeting and its report was held the day before the Boston Tea Party. There was concern and distress in many parts of the colonies.
The University Presidents had written to the American Public arguing that the German aggression was the result of the militarists in the German society dominating the people and pushing them to war. They argued that most German people were not really responsible. Lamprecht took exception and argued that the German policy was the democratic will of the majority of the German people. He claimed that Germany at the time was more of a de facto democracy than America—as the Untied States did not have a Voting Rights Act or any way of de facto ensuring that all citizens could vote—particularly Negroes in the South. While he was accurate about the voting aspects of a democracy, Germany neither had the Constitution nor a judiciary that was independent and co-equal to the executive and legislature, but Germany did not have the institutions with democratic traditions. The greatest embarrassment to modern Germans is that Adolf Hitler was actually elected by a majority of Germans and was very popular until things in Germany started to go poorly. This quotation is very important in that it shows the importance of a Constitution to limit the powers of even a popularly elected government.
Lee at that time was one of the leaders of the American colonists’ cause. He was born in England and was an old friend of Burgoyne who had just arrived in America. Lee wanted to explain the American viewpoint. Lee later became the senior major general under Washington.
This is opposite to the view that the power to tax is the power to destroy. See Oliver Wendell Holmes {603715}, Daniel Webster {37299} and John Marshall {320000}.
