I've uploaded year 1712 to the TSP Wiki...
http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1712
Here are some one liners...
A Taxing Development: The Stamp Act is Passed -- Parliament decides to tax the snot out of publications so that they stay out of the hands of the rabble.
Before Uncle Sam there was John Bull! -- John Bull is the symbol of the common man.
Some Notable Births -- Fredrick the Great (a man of war) and Rousseau (an interesting madman and a founder of our educational system).
A Taxing Development: The Stamp Act is Passed
No. Not THAT Stamp Act. The British government has decided to tax publications. By tradition, only scientific papers carry an author's name. That gives the scientific paper credibility. Everything else usually carries no author name and is considered gossip, a story, or unverifiable ancient history... and also makes them untraceable. Now with copyright protection, an author has an incentive to register his publication with the government. This registration identifies a person to the government and with the expiration of the censorship laws, the government is looking for ways to keep the public safe from heresy, blasphemy and uncomfortable facts about the government that will stir up the mob. Making publications more expensive will keep such material out of their hands, so Parliament passes the Stamp Act. It taxes newspapers so severely that only the rich can afford them. Nevertheless, printers still have the ability to produce those large proclamation sheets that Queen Anne uses to communicate with her subjects, so they switch to the larger page size. Not only do they reduce their tax obligation, but in the public's mind, the larger size associates the newspaper with the Queen's authority. The big news comes on big pages. Thus the broadsheet is born. In 1765, the Parliament will pass a different Stamp Act that will become a pivot point in the American Revolution. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
A helpful government service (copyright protection) quickly turned into a means of government taxation. The 1765 Stamp Act placed a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, gambling cards and DICE! (Is nothing sacred?) You can see the beginnings of a government obsession with identifying the author of publications and punishing undesirable activities. It begins with the simple need to tax the proper person. You don't want the WRONG person taxed. Right? And it makes sense to identify "bad" people who are stirring up trouble or leading people away from the True Faith. And you don't want people gambling instead of working hard to feed their children. It's for the children! Right? And since government has only the public good in mind, people who oppose various government programs are obviously working against the public good... people like Republicans or Democrats or (shudder) Libertarians! All because the government wants to protect the public... and itself.
A helpful government service (copyright protection) quickly turned into a means of government taxation. The 1765 Stamp Act placed a tax on legal documents, pamphlets, gambling cards and DICE! (Is nothing sacred?) You can see the beginnings of a government obsession with identifying the author of publications and punishing undesirable activities. It begins with the simple need to tax the proper person. You don't want the WRONG person taxed. Right? And it makes sense to identify "bad" people who are stirring up trouble or leading people away from the True Faith. And you don't want people gambling instead of working hard to feed their children. It's for the children! Right? And since government has only the public good in mind, people who oppose various government programs are obviously working against the public good... people like Republicans or Democrats or (shudder) Libertarians! All because the government wants to protect the public... and itself.
- Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -- Benjamin Franklin, November 11, 1755. [6]
Before Uncle Sam there was John Bull!
John Bull is an inspiring British character used to represent the "everyman". He is a common sense fellow who simply wants what is best for Great Britain and knows how to get it done. No nonsense. Not a lot of talking. Just action. In images, he is sometimes shown pointing the way, or pointing at YOU. This year the fictional story entitled "The History of John Bull" is published. The publisher is bullish on its sales prospects. The character will "live on" into the modern day as a symbol of Great Britain just as Uncle Sam is often used to symbolize the United States of America. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
The character of Uncle Sam has disputed origins. Most agree that the earliest reference was from the War of 1812. A fellow named Sam Wilson was generally known as "Uncle Sam". He produced rations for the military and stamped the containers with the letters U.S., meaning United States, but with good-natured ribbing, his fellows said it stood for "Uncle Sam". Historians have dug up earlier references to an Uncle Sam that represent either the country itself (the land) or the government's authority. In any case, Uncle Sam did not start out like John Bull who simply represented the common man. [12]
The character of Uncle Sam has disputed origins. Most agree that the earliest reference was from the War of 1812. A fellow named Sam Wilson was generally known as "Uncle Sam". He produced rations for the military and stamped the containers with the letters U.S., meaning United States, but with good-natured ribbing, his fellows said it stood for "Uncle Sam". Historians have dug up earlier references to an Uncle Sam that represent either the country itself (the land) or the government's authority. In any case, Uncle Sam did not start out like John Bull who simply represented the common man. [12]
Some Notable Births
- * Frederick the Great is born in Berlin, Prussia. I am reminded of that quote from Conan the Barbarian, "Do you want to live forever?" That is a paraphrase of a quote from Fredrick the Great.[13]
- * Jean-Jacques Rousseau (an interesting madman) born in Geneva. He will have a massive influence on the modern day educational system. His only true love said of him, "He was ugly enough to frighten me and love did not make him more attractive. But he was a pathetic figure and I treated him with gentleness and kindness. He was an interesting madman." [14]
This Year in Wikipedia
Year 1712, Wikipedia.
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