The Stamp Act of 1765 forced the American colonies to pay a tax on various official documents and publications, such as legal papers, liquor permits, lawyers’ licenses, and school diplomas. In defiance of the new law, the court of Frederick County, Maryland, declared that it would carry on its business without the tax stamps required by the Act. The date on which the Stamp Act was repudiated, November 23, has been observed for many years as a half-holiday in Frederick County to commemorate this.
Month: November 2020
John Milton
Anarchy is the sure consequence of tyranny; for no power that is not limited by laws can ever be protected by them. Discuss
ranch
biscuit shooter – A waitress at a lunch counter or a cook on a ranch. More…
dude, dude ranch – A dude is a city-dweller, especially one vacationing on a ranch—hence, dude ranch. More…
ranch dressing – A creamy buttermilk-based dressing with garlic and other spices and herbs, developed at Hidden Valley Ranch in Santa Barbara in the 1950s. More…
ranch – From Spanish rancho, “group of persons eating together.” More…
land of plenty
A fictional or imagined utopian place where there is an abundance of everything needed to survive and flourish. Watch the video
Red River Ox Carts
Red River ox carts were a vital form of transportation during the 19th-century westward expansion in the US and Canada. They carried fur to trading posts in places like St. Paul, Minnesota, and then carried supplies back to settlements along the Red River of the North, which now forms the Minnesota–North Dakota border. Built entirely of wood and animal hide—and no metal—the carts typically had two wheels, which were notorious for their constant creaking. Why couldn’t their axles be greased? Discuss
monotonous
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole. Discuss
twigs
drey – A squirrel’s nest of twigs in a tree. More…
broom – Was first called a besom, but evolved because many of them were made of twigs from the wild broom shrub. More…
lop – The smaller branches and twigs of a tree. More…
whiskers – Originally the word for a bundle of feathers, twigs, etc. used for whisking (from “whisk”), it then came to denote the projecting hairs or bristles of mammals. More…
don't shoot the messenger
Don’t get angry at or punish someone who is simply delivering bad or undesirable news, as he or she is not responsible for it. Watch the video
Hanno the Navigator
Hanno was a Carthaginian explorer who, in the 5th century BCE, led about 60 ships to explore and colonize the northwestern coast of Africa. Attempts to identify the places mentioned in early accounts of the voyage have failed, possibly because the Carthaginians altered details to discourage competitors. Still, it is believed that Hanno traveled at least as far as Senegal, and possibly as far as Cameroon or Gabon. At the end of the journey, Hanno reported finding an island populated with what? Discuss