The following is the first in a series of inside looks at the current exhibition in Princeton University Library’s Ellen and Leonard Milberg Gallery in Firestone Library: “The Most Formidable Weapon Against Errors: The Sid Lapidus ’59 Collection & the Age of Reason.” 

Curated by Steven A. Knowlton, Librarian for History and African American Studies, the exhibition celebrates the collecting achievements of Sid Lapidus, Class of 1959, who has devoted many years to the acquisition of rare books that trace the emergence of Enlightenment ideas and their influence on politics, medicine, and society, creating a powerful tool for understanding the ideas that have shaped modern American society. 

In the 1640s, the English Civil War arose from conflicts between King Charles I and the Parliament about who had the power to impose taxes. Following the 1688 “Glorious Revolution” in which King James II was overthrown in reaction to his policies that many considered oppressive, many English people—including British colonists in North America—came to believe that taxation was only permissible when approved by elected representatives. 

The colonists paid taxes imposed by colonial legislatures, but not direct taxes imposed by the Parliament, to which they did not elect representatives. In 1765, Parliament, led by George Grenville, imposed a tax on paper goods in the colonies, called the Stamp Act, which provoked widespread rebellion against colonial governors until it was repealed the next year. 

The Stamp Act Crisis presaged disputes about the locus of authority in the American and French Revolutions. 

Image at left: Violent revolts prevented the Stamp Act from being enforced, and in early 1766 Parliament began hearings about its repeal. Witness Benjamin Franklin downplayed the constitutional dispute and observed that the colonists would support taxes fairly imposed. The act was repealed within a few weeks.