“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future.”—Theodore Roosevelt
Late last summer, the state of Massachusetts declared an emergency over the “severe lack of shelter availability” for the enormous number of illegal immigrants who were entering the United States.
Shortly after the crisis was declared, Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll urged citizens to “step up” if they were willing to have “an additional family” reside in their homes. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey blamed the illegal immigrant dilemma on federal policies related to immigration, work authorization, affordable housing, and the end of pandemic-era social assistance—everything but the Biden administration’s open border policy.
Early in the new year, Fox News reported that a city councilman in the affluent suburb of Naperville, Illinois, was proposing that liberal residents sign up to host illegal immigrants. CNN also reminded citizens that the White House was seeking urban spaces for the unprecedented numbers of “asylum seekers” who were coming to America.
The Tyranny of Quartering Acts
This isn’t the first time government authorities have asked American citizens to host foreign nationals.
In the 1760s, an out-of-touch British Parliament passed a series of Quartering Acts that required colonial governments to provide food, drink, quarters, fuel, and transportation for British troops who were occupying American towns and villages. These acts became a significant source of tension between American colonists and the British government.
In 1765, the Stamp Act imposed new taxes on Americans, and the presence of British troops was intended to frighten them into submission. In 1770, the Quartering Acts were allowed to expire, but they were reintroduced along with the Intolerable Acts of 1774.
The heavy-handed policies adopted by the British Empire were attributed to the misguided influence of King George III. British historian Paul Johnson described the king as a “self-confident, ignorant, opinionated, inflexible and pertinacious man” whose orders were carried out by “second-raters and creatures of his own making.” Mr. Johnson asserted that the only value in the king’s court-favorites was their “ability to manage a corrupt House of Commons.”
Throughout his rule, King George III and the arrogant British elites who supported him jettisoned all of the sensible virtues that had made Britain a great nation.
By 1775, increasing resentment in the colonies led to the organization of militias known as “The Sons and Daughters of Liberty.” On April 19, 1775, a British commander dispatched troops to seize an arsenal of weapons stored in Concord, Massachusetts.
When the British marched on Concord, they were intercepted by a colonial militia at Lexington, Massachusetts. The famous “shot heard round the world” led to a military encounter that took the lives of some 270 British troops and 100 colonists. In June 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought outside Boston, and in 1776, the 13 colonies declared their independence.
History Shouldn’t Be Ignored
Twenty-first-century progressive educators are inclined to either ignore or distort American history. Schools are now teaching impressionable students that their nation’s destiny is defined by the sin of slavery, rather than the virtue of liberty.Classical scholars say studying the past helps us understand contemporary events and make informed judgments.
Latin American philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
A lot of Americans are beginning to agree.
With regard to President Joe Biden’s open invitation to illegal immigrants and proposals to host them in American homes, it’s worth noting that the Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution still stands as a historical reminder that “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”
The illegal immigration madness was on full display last week when illegal aliens who had been arrested for allegedly attacking New York Police Department officers were released without bail and immediately made obscene hand gestures toward the people of New York as some reportedly headed off to California.
Whether state and local governments will attempt to force families to quarter illegal immigrants isn’t yet clear. Nevertheless, radical politicians will continue to insist that Americans have a moral obligation to provide food and shelter for migrating legions.
History shouldn’t be ignored. It’s about time for a new American Revolution at the ballot box.
