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Letter to Editor
June 30, 1774
The Virginia Gazette
Williamsburg, Virginia
What is this article about?
A colonial letter to Mrs. Rind expresses alarm over a proposed British parliamentary act that would shield crown officers in America from local lawsuits, answerable only in England, and advocates for colonists to enforce justice directly if enacted.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
WHAT, Mrs. RIND, must astonished AMERICA think, what dreadful abuses must not its inhabitants feel, should an act of parliament be passed, "that no officer in the service of the crown in America shall be liable to any action or prosecution whatever there; but to be amenable only to the courts of judicature in England?" Yet, a correspondent says, "you may depend it has been agitated in the cabinet, and it is determined to be carried into execution by an act of parliament!"
Care, should such an act pass, removing crown officers from every restraint of the society where they live, will it not be absolutely necessary that the people among whom such officers reside consider themselves as in a state of nature with respect to them, and execute speedy justice on every transgression?
Mrs. RIND,
Care, should such an act pass, removing crown officers from every restraint of the society where they live, will it not be absolutely necessary that the people among whom such officers reside consider themselves as in a state of nature with respect to them, and execute speedy justice on every transgression?
Mrs. RIND,
What sub-type of article is it?
Persuasive
Political
Provocative
What themes does it cover?
Constitutional Rights
Politics
Crime Punishment
What keywords are associated?
Parliament Act
Crown Officers
American Prosecution
Colonial Justice
British Cabinet
What entities or persons were involved?
Mrs. Rind
Letter to Editor Details
Recipient
Mrs. Rind
Main Argument
the letter opposes a proposed act of parliament that would exempt crown officers in america from local prosecution, making them amenable only to english courts, and suggests that if passed, colonists should treat such officers as in a state of nature and execute justice themselves on transgressions.
Notable Details
Quotes Proposed Act: 'No Officer In The Service Of The Crown In America Shall Be Liable To Any Action Or Prosecution Whatever There; But To Be Amenable Only To The Courts Of Judicature In England'
References Correspondent's Report That The Act Has Been Agitated In The Cabinet And Determined For Execution