Choice Spirits episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 28, 2026 · 12 MIN

Choice Spirits

from Stratford Mail · host Stratford Hall Historic Preserve, Dr. Gordon Blaine Steffey, Director of Research

Send us Fan Mail260 years ago, a merchant on the banks of the Rappahannock River threatened to undermine strategic non-compliance with the Stamp Act. He needed stamped paper to offload a cargo of perishable grain. He intended only to obey the law. Many in the community viewed that law as a violation of their constitutional rights and liberty. The Lee brothers stepped forward to express and enforce the will of the community on this recalcitrant merchant. Organizing a heavily armed private militia, the Lees rode on Hobbs Hole and made a public example of the man. Richard Henry Lee drafted the manifesto of this militia, the Leedstown Resolves, the first organized, armed, and publicly signed association of resistance in the American colonies and a founding document of our enduring American experiment.  To support Stratford Mail or donate to Stratford Hall, please navigate to www.stratfordhall.org/donate, and let them know in the comment section you wish to support Stratford Mail.Don't you dare forget to follow Stratford Mail, and visit us at Stratford Hall Historic Preserve! Check out our standalone website, StratfordMail.org, for enhanced content.  

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 28, 2026

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Send us Fan Mail 260 years ago, a merchant on the banks of the Rappahannock River threatened to undermine strategic non-compliance with the Stamp Act. He needed stamped paper to offload a cargo of perishable grain. He intended only to obey the law. Many in the community viewed that law as a violation of their constitutional rights and liberty. The Lee brothers stepped forward to express and enforce the will of the community on this recalcitrant merchant. Organizing a heavily armed private mil...

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Choice Spirits

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