What is the picture of Paying the Exciseman portraying? Here is what I said. There is a tree with the word Liberty on it in the background, there is a sign that is upside down that reads Stamp Act on it and hanging from the tree is a noose. There is a Patriot man holding down a man that has been tarred and feathered, which looks like the Exciseman, while another man is pouring something down his throat, possible tea. In the background was a ship with people throwing tea overboard. My question is this what the the picture is portraying or is it asking something else? Please help.
Did you look up the word, Excise? The Excisemen were the British tax collectors.... you need to look up what they did to the colonist merchants.
1764 – boycotts/resolutions to protest the Sugar Act
1765 – Stamp Act Congress and Virginia Resolutions in response to the Stamp Act and Quartering Act
1767 – Colonists respond with boycotts and non-importation agreements to the Townshend Acts (Duties)
1773 – Boston Tea Party occurs in response to the Tea Act (also occurs in other port cities)
1774 – First Continental Congress organized in response to Intolerable/Coercive Acts (includes Quebec Act, Boston Port Act, new Quarting Act)
The picture you described, commonly known as "Paying the Exciseman," is indeed portraying a significant event in American history. It is an artistic representation of the resistance against the Stamp Act, an unpopular tax imposed by the British Parliament on the American colonies in 1765.
To understand the meaning behind the picture, we can analyze its various elements:
1. Tree with the word Liberty: The liberty tree represents the desire for independence and freedom from British rule. It symbolizes the colonists' commitment to defending their rights and resisting oppressive taxes.
2. Upside-down sign with the words "Stamp Act": The sign represents the Stamp Act itself, which required colonists to purchase a special stamp for any printed material. Placing the sign upside down signifies defiance and protest against the act.
3. Noose hanging from the tree: The noose symbolizes the threat of punishment or death for those who supported the Stamp Act or enforced it. It serves as a warning to the exciseman and others who seek to impose unjust taxes on the colonists.
4. Patriot man subduing the exciseman: This scene depicts a colonist physically restraining and overpowering the exciseman, who represents the British authority responsible for collecting the tax. It reflects the colonists' resistance and unwillingness to comply with the Stamp Act.
5. Pouring substance into the exciseman's throat: The act of pouring something, which you suggested might be tea, into the exciseman's throat is likely a deliberate reference to the Boston Tea Party—an act of protest in which American colonists dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor as a response to the Tea Act of 1773.
6. Ship with people throwing tea overboard: The presence of a ship and people throwing tea overboard represents the aforementioned Boston Tea Party. This iconic event symbolizes the colonists' collective action against unjust taxation and their commitment to the cause of American independence.
Overall, the picture portrays the colonists' resistance to the Stamp Act and their strong opposition to British taxation policies, ultimately reflecting their growing desire for independence.