"We are alarmed and astonished
at the Act called Stamp Act..."

Westford's Response to the 1765 Stamp Act

Passed by Parliament in early March of 1765, the Stamp Act was one of Great Britain's methods of restoring funds it had expended during the French and Indian conflict, expelling France from large portions of North America.

 We the Freeholders and other inhabitants of the Town of Westford in town meeting assembled the Thirty-first Day of October A. D. 1765, Voted and chose Lt. Timothy Fletcher, Moderator; then voted: Professing the Greatest Loyalty to our most Gracious Soverain and our Sincere Regard and Profound Reverence for the British Parliment as the most powerful and Respectable Body of men on earth, yet at the same time Being Deeply sencable of the Diflicultys and Distresses to Which that agust Assembly’s Late exertion of their power in and by the Stamp Act must Necessarily Expose us; think it proper in the present critical Conjuncture of affairs to give the following instructions, viz:
“ To Capt. Jonas Prescott our Representative — we trust in your Honesty and fidelity and trust [to the trust?] Reposed in you Beleiveing you have ever served this town in the best way and manner you were capable; and now at a time when American Subjects are every where loudly complaining of arbitrary and unconstitutional Tax laid on us, as we humbly apprehend, and that the town of Westford cannot any longer Remain silent without just Imputation of inexcusable neglect, we therefore would consider what stepts are best for us to take at this alarming time. We think it proper to let you know our sentiments and to give you our instructions thereupon. We are alarmed and astonished at the Act called Stamp Act by which very greaves [grievous] and we apprehend unconstitutional tax is laid on us. We humbly apprehend by the Royal Charter granted to our forefathers that they had power of making Laws for our internal goverment and of leveling taxes invested in the general assembly; and by the same Charter the inhabitants of this Province are intituled to all the Rights and Priviledges of Natural free born subjects of Great Britain. The most essencial Rights of Britan subjects are those of being Represented in the same body which exercised the power of Leveling Taxes on them and having their properties Tryed by Juries. These are the common Privilidges of Mankind, and we apprehend we ware not Represented in Parlament of Great Britain when that sd act was made, and it is certain that this Act admites of our Properties being tryed by Courts of admiltry [admiralty] without a Jury; so at once we are deprived of our most valuable Rights and Privilidges which is contained in our Charter as we humbly Conceive, and to have our properties Judged and determined by Strangers to us ; that the investing the Authority in the Courts of Admiltry to Deside in Suites Relating to Stamp Duties and other matters to their Jurisdiction, is highly Dangerous to us his Majesty’s subjects and our Lyberties. We humbly think that we are intituled to all the Lyberties, Rights, and Privilidges of his Majesties subjects in Great Britain or Elsewhere, and that our Constitution of Goverment in the Province is founded on the natural Rights of Mankind and the noble Princaples of English Lyberty, and therefore is or ought to be perfectly free. We therefore think it our indispensable Duty to ourselves and our Dear Children as it is our undoubted Privilidge, in the most open and unreserved manner but in Decent and Respectfull termes to Declare our Great Dissatisfaction with this Stamp Act, and we think it incu mbent on you by no means to Joyne in any measure for countenancing and assisting in the execution of sd Act; but to use your Best Endeavours to have the Rights and Privilidges of the people asserted and vindicated and Left on Record that our children after us may not charge us with the guilt of Tamely giving our Rights and Privilidges away. We further instruct you that you take care that the money in the Province Treasury which is Drawn from the People of this Province may not be applied to any other purpose but what was Evedantly intended in the Act for Supplying the treasury. As to other things of less importance we leave you to act as you think proper; as you in your wisdom shall think best for your constitutants.
TIMOTHY FLETCHER, Moderator.”

“ Recorded by John Abbott, Town Clerk.”