NO. 2
THE BUSH DOCTRINE
Michael Proulx*
For what is liberty but the unhampered translation of will into act?
Dante Aligheri
On June 26th, 1776 Thomas Hickey, a member of George Washington's personal guard, was convicted of treason for his role in a plot that involved forging United States currency for pro-British ambitions. He was hanged two days later as the first casualty of United States independence. Hickey, being in the armed services, was tried under the military justice system. However, civilians involved in the plot, excluded from military tribunals, exposed issues about the colonial authority to charge them as that authority rested with the Crown of Great Britain. The necessity to eliminate the ambiguous language, as it pertained to persons residing within the various United Colonies, by the Continental Congress resulted in the Declaration of Independence being drafted and issued within the week.
*Michael Proulx is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto.
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THE JOURNAL OF POLITICAL STUDIES
VOL. 1
JANUARY 2014
ARTICLES