Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“‘We are not such asses as to let them ride us as they please.’ That was the fiery attitude of a 19-year-old Alexander Hamilton in 1774 – and it perfectly explained the principle behind the economic shutdown the colonies were implementing in response to the Coercive Acts: they refused to be bullied into submission. Today, a ‘shutdown’ is a political game designed to manipulate the people. But the original American shutdown was a weapon of revolution. This is the story of the Continental Association.” (10/20/25)