The Fairfax Resolves Essay, Research Paper

We “can not be considered as a conquered Country” because we are “Descendants not of the Conquered, but of the Conquerors.” With this implied threat of military action, the Fairfax County Resolves challenged the unconstitutional actions of the British government.

Written by George Washington and George Mason on July 17, 1774, at Mount Vernon, the Fairfax County Resolves were both a bold statement of fundamental constitutional rights and a revolutionary call for an association of colonies to protest British anti-American actions. The resolves were adopted on July 18, 1774, by a Fairfax County convention chaired by George Washington. The citizens’ protest meeting was one of many throughout the colonies called to challenge Britain’s harsh retaliatory measures against Massachusetts in the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party.

The Fairfax Resolves clearly stated the American claims to equal rights under the British constitution: representation in Parliament, control over taxation, control over military forces within their borders, control over judicial powers, control over commercial actions. Moreover, the Fairfax Resolves called for an inter-colonial association to enforce their claims to these rights and to protest British violations of these fundamental rights. The Fairfax Resolves contained the implied threat of further actions to enforce American rights and independence. Washington and Mason boldly called for a “general Congress, for the preservation of our Lives Liberties and Fortunes.”