“Intolerable Acts” Is Topic for Stratford Library Talk
April 18th with Eric Chandler on Zoom at 2 p.m. Free and Open to the Public.
by Tom Holehan
Public Relations & Programming at the Stratford Public Library
“The Intolerable Acts and Worse” gives a deep dive into Colonial history. “Be a king,” said Princess Augusta of Saxe-Goethe to her son George, newly crowned George III of England in 1751. In that, as in many matters, George listened to his mother. She, in turn, listened to advice from Lord George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, and Secretary of State for the Colonies. As did so many who had held that position before him, he misunderstood the nature of the transplanted Englishmen who populated England’s New World colonies. A long history of heavy handedness and punitive measures on the part of Crown and Parliament set into motion a series of diplomatic and commercial blunders finally drove the 13 breakaway colonies to declare for independence.
The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by the British Government. In Great Britain, these laws were referred to as the Coercive Acts. The acts took away self-governance and rights that Massachusetts had enjoyed since its founding, triggering outrage and indignation in the Thirteen Colonies. They were key developments in the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775.
Norwalk resident Eric Chandler has been involved in American Revolutionary War Living History since 1974 and has portrayed infantry, light infantry, whale-boat raider and mounted and dismounted dragoons. He is a three-term commissioner on the Norwalk Historical Commission and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Norwalk Historical Society. His artistic endeavors included writing and recording a comedy CD, and many years as a musician playing sax in area Rock & Roll and Blues bands. To his credit, or shame, he had his likeness used in an issue of MAD Magazine. Chandler is enjoying retirement (he retired after 30+ years as a land title insurance underwriter of residential and commercial properties) with his wife Catherine, taking classes, giving lectures on historical topics and continuing to live history.
The “Sunday Afternoon Talks” series are hosted by Charles Lautier and held from 2-3:30 pm on the Zoom platform. To register online and receive a Zoom invitation for the April 18th program visit: https://stratfordlibrary.libcal.com/event/7468258.
For further information call the Stratford Library at: 203.385-
