Patrick Henry was the most spectacular of the early champions of the
Colonists in Virginia, but many others of them agreed with him. Among
these the weightiest was the silent George Washington. He said little,
but his opinions passed from mouth to mouth, and convinced many. In
1765 he wrote to Francis Dandridge, an uncle of Mrs. Washington:
The Stamp Act imposed on the colonies by the Parliament of Great
Britain, engrosses the conversation of the speculative part of the
colonists, who look upon this unconstitutional method of taxation,
as a direful attack upon their liberties, and loudly exclaim
against the violation. What may be the result of this, and of
some other (I think I may add) ill-judged measures, I will not
undertake to determine; but this I may venture to affirm, that the
advantage accruing to the mother country will fall greatly short
of the expectations of the ministry; for certain it is, that an
whole substance does already in a manner flow to Great Britain,
and that whatsoever contributes to lessen our importations must
be hurtful to their manufacturers. And the eyes of our people,
already beginning to open, will perceive, that many luxuries,
which we lavish our substance in Great Britain for, can well be
dispensed with, whilst the necessaries of life are (mostly) to
be had within ourselves.
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