The Long Fuse - In All Cases Whatsoever

American Political History · Oct 9, 2023 · 28m

In January 1766, a gout-stricken William Pitt had himself carried into the House of Commons to tell his colleagues something no statesman of his rank had dared to say: that he rejoiced America had resisted. This is the story of how the Stamp Act was repealed, and of the sting hidden in the victory.

It is a story told in great voices: Pitt thundering that Parliament might bind America in everything except its purse; George Grenville, his own brother-in-law, answering that sovereignty cannot be divided; and Benjamin Franklin, examined for 4 hours before a hostile House, warning that an army…