Here’s a brief look back in time on this day, March 18.
In 1766, the British empire’s Stamp Act on the American colonies is repealed following months of protests and boycotts. The Act served as a tax on all publications, newspapers, and legal documents in circulation across the New World. As previously mentioned, England’s part in the Seven Years’ War (or the French & Indian War) was an expensive campaign that nearly bankrupt the country’s economy. To make up for this, the Crown began imposing taxes on traded goods in the Americas. This was when the term and battle cry “taxation without representation” began to get utilized, as the colonists felt they didn’t have a voice within Parliament. At this time, people who lived in the Americas still lived under British law. However, they weren’t considered citizens, but “subjects” to the Crown.
In 1925, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history strikes eastern Missouri, southern Illinois, and southern Indiana. It was projected to have touched down in Reynolds County, MO, at around 12:45 in the afternoon, carving its way to Pike County, IN. It’d leave around 700 dead in its path, and thousands more injured. Damage estimates are believed to be around $2.9 billion in today’s currency when adjusted with inflation, making it the one of the most costliest natural disasters to occur in the United States.
In 1942, Executive Order 9102 is issued by 32nd U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, forming the War Relocation Authority. It’s primary purpose was to organize and execute a mass migration of Japanese-born American citizens and immigrants “back to their former homes” at the end of World War II. Throughout the course of the war, internment camps were built on native tribal lands to house people of Japanese descent until the conflict’s conclusion. Approximately 120,000 people were distributed amongst 10 camps across the United States, with reports of malnutrition and poor living conditions being commonplace. It wasn’t until 33rd U.S. President Harry Truman’s Executive Order 9742 that formerly dissolved the Authority. It is unknown how many people were deported, but some estimate to be in the hundreds.