James Otis Popular Books
James Otis Biography & Facts
James Otis Jr. (February 5, 1725 – May 23, 1783) was an American lawyer, political activist, colonial legislator, and early supporter of patriotic causes in Massachusetts Bay Colony at the beginning of the Revolutionary Era. Otis was a fervent opponent of the writs of assistance imposed by Great Britain on the American colonies in the early 1760s which allowed law enforcement officials to search private property without cause. He later expanded his criticism of British authority to include tax measures that were being enacted by Parliament. As a result, Otis is often credited with coining the slogan "taxation without representation is tyranny".Otis was a mentor to Samuel Adams, and his oratorical style inspired John Adams. He is recognized by some as a Founding Father due to his efforts leading up to the Revolutionary War. However, Otis was plagued by mental illness and alcoholism, and his erratic behavior had rendered him inconsequential and embarrassing to the cause by the early 1770s. Early life Otis was born in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, the second of 13 children and the first to survive infancy. His sister Mercy and his brothers Joseph and Samuel were leaders during the American Revolution, as was nephew Harrison Gray Otis. His father Colonel James Otis Sr. was a prominent lawyer and militia officer. Father and son had a tumultuous relationship. His father sent him a letter articulating his disappointments and encouraging him to seek God's righteousness to better himself.In 1755, Otis married Ruth Cunningham, a merchant's daughter and heiress to a fortune worth £10,000. Their politics were quite different, yet they were attached to each other. Otis later "half-complained that she was a 'High Tory,'" yet in the same breath declared that "she was a good Wife, and too good for him", in the words of John Adams. The marriage produced children James, Elizabeth, and Mary. Their son James died at age 18. Their elder daughter Elizabeth was a Loyalist like her mother; she married Captain Brown of the British Army and lived in England for the rest of her life. Their younger daughter Mary married Benjamin Lincoln, son of the distinguished Continental Army General Benjamin Lincoln. Writs of assistance Otis graduated from Harvard in 1743 and rose to the top of the Boston legal profession. In 1760, he received a prestigious appointment as Advocate General of the Admiralty Court. He promptly resigned, however, when Governor Francis Bernard failed to appoint his father to the promised position of Chief Justice of the province's highest court; the position instead went to Otis's longtime opponent Thomas Hutchinson. In the 1761 case Paxton v. Gray, a group of outraged Boston businessmen engaged Otis to challenge the legality of "writs of assistance" before the Superior Court, the predecessor of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. These writs enabled the authorities to enter any home with no advance notice, no probable cause, and no reason given.Otis considered himself a loyal subject to the Crown, yet he argued against the writs of assistance in a nearly five-hour oration before a select audience in the State House in February 1761. His argument failed to win his case, but it galvanized the revolutionary movement.John Adams recollected years later: "Otis was a flame of fire; with a promptitude of classical allusions, a depth of research, a rapid summary of historical events and dates, a profusion of legal authorities." Adams promoted Otis as a major player in the coming of the Revolution, writing nearly 50 years later: "Then and there was the first scene of the first Act of opposition to the Arbitrary claims of Great Britain. Then and there the Child Independence was born. ... The seeds of Patriots & Heroes ... were then & there sown."The text of his 1761 speech was much enhanced by Adams on several occasions; it was first printed in 1773 and in longer forms in 1819 and 1823. According to James R. Ferguson, the four tracts that Otis wrote during 1764–65 reveal contradictions and even intellectual confusion. Otis was the first leader of the period to develop distinctive American theories of constitutionalism and representation, but he relied on traditional views of Parliamentary authority. He refused to follow the logical direction of his natural law theory by drawing back from radicalism, according to Ferguson, who feels that Otis appears inconsistent. Samuelson, on the other hand, argues that Otis should be seen as a practical political thinker rather than a theorist, which explains why his positions changed as he adjusted to altered political realities.In 1764, Otis expanded his argument in a pamphlet stating that Americans lacked proper Parliamentary representation, making it unconstitutional for Parliament to tax Americans. According to Matthew K. Reising, Otis developed his argument regarding Parliamentary authority by examining the effects of the Glorious Revolution in America rather than the historical situation of 17th century Britain. In the Writs case, Otis said that "An Act against the constitution is void … and if an act of Parliament should be made … the executive courts must pass such acts into disuse."Otis did not identify himself as a revolutionary; his peers, too, generally viewed him as more cautious than the incendiary Samuel Adams. Otis, at times, counseled against the mob violence of the radicals and argued against Adams's proposal for a convention of all the colonies resembling that of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Yet, on other occasions, Otis exceeded Adams in rousing passions and exhorting people to action. He even called his compatriots to arms at a town meeting on September 12, 1768, according to some accounts. He was a Freemason. Pamphleteer Otis was originally in the rural Popular Party, but he effectively made alliances with Boston merchants and grew in popularity after the controversy of the Writs of Assistance case. He subsequently wrote several important patriotic pamphlets, served in the assembly, and was a leader of the Stamp Act Congress. He also was friends with Thomas Paine, the author of Common Sense. Otis asserted that Blacks had inalienable rights, and he favored extending the freedoms of life, liberty, and property to them. The idea of racial equality also permeates his Rights of the British Colonies (1764), in which he states:The colonists are by the law of nature freeborn, as indeed all men are, white or black. Mental health decline Otis suffered from increasingly erratic behavior as the 1760s progressed. He received a gash on the head from tax collector John Robinson's cudgel at the British Coffee House in 1769. Some attribute Otis's mental illness to this event alone, but John Adams, Thomas Hutchinson, and many others mention his mental illness well before 1769. The blow to the head probably made it worse and, shortly after, he could no longer continue his work. By the end of the decade, Otis's public lif.... Discover the James Otis popular books. Find the top 100 most popular James Otis books.
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James Otis Holley v. State Texas
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas No. 35231DICE, Commissioner. It having been shown that notice of appeal was given and entered of record as required by Art. 827, Vernon's Ann.C.C.P., our prior opinion dismissing the appeal...
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Left Behind or Ten Days a Newsboy
James OtisAccording to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (1848 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s literature. He used the pen name James Otis. Kaler was born on March 19, ...
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James Otis Young v. State
Court of Criminal Appeals of AlabamaPER CURIAM. Appellant was tried on a charge of murder in the first degree, found guilty of murder in the second degree, and sentenced to thirtyfive years imprisonment.
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James Otis, the pre-revolutionist
Charles Keyser EdmundsAppreciative essays on this Bostonian 'prophetic giant' of the prerevolutionary days.
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An Amateur Fireman
James OtisPopular children's novel first published in 1898. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s...
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Works of James Otis Kaler
James Otis Kaler27 works of James Otis Kaler American journalist and author of children’s literature (18481912) This ebook presents a collection of 27 works of James Otis Kaler. A dynamic table of...
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Richard of Jamestown
James OtisAccording to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (1848 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s literature. He used the pen name James Otis. Kaler was born on March 19, ...
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Aretha Franklin
Mark BegoA frank examination of Aretha Franklin, Mark Bego's definitive biography traces her career accomplishments from her beginnings as a twelveyearold member of a church choir in the ea...
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What the Dead Know
Laura LippmanThe New York Times bestselling author returns to the compelling terrain of Every Secret Thing and To the Power of Three with this indelible story of crime and vengeance in which th...
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Aretha Franklin
Mark BegoA frank examination of Aretha Franklin, Mark Bego’s definitive biography traces her career accomplishments from her beginnings as a twelveyearold member of a church choir in the ea...
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James Otis the Pre-Revolutionary by John Clark Ridpath and Related Documents
John Clark RidpathBiography of an eloquent and persuasive lawyer in colonial Massachusetts who led the resistance against Britain at the time of the Stamp Act and the Tea Party. Due to brain damage ...
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James Otis the Pre-Revolutionist
John Clark RidpathBiography first published in 1898. According to Wikipedia: "John Clark Ridpath (April 26, 1840–July 31, 1900) was an American educator, historian, and editor. His mother was a des...
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Collected Political Writings of James Otis
James OtisThe writings of James Otis arguably had more influence in America and England before 1774 than those of any other American except John Dickinson. John Adams pointed to Otis as the ...
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Neal, the Miller, a Sonof Liberty
James OtisHistorical novel for children, set in the days of the American Revolution, first published around 1900. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 191...
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Shirley
Muriel BurgessShirley Bassey is one of the alltime greats of the entertainment business. She has sold more records than any other British female singer and still commands massive audiences aroun...
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7 best short stories by Otis Adelbert Kline
Otis Adelbert Kline & August NemoOtis Adelbert Kline was a songwriter, an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine Weird Tales. Kline was an amateu...
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The Minute Boys of Boston
James OtisPopular children's novel first published in 1910. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s...
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James Otis Chandler v. State Indiana
Supreme Court Of IndianaOn September 20, 1948, Defendant (Appellant) was indicted for murder in the first degree. On September 27, 1948, he appeared in court with counsel and entered a plea of not guilty....
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Otis Redding
Jonathan GouldThe longawaited, definitive biography of The King of Soul, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Redding's iconic performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. Otis Reddi...
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Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks With a Circus
James OtisAccording to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (1848 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s literature. He used the pen name James Otis. Kaler was born on March 19, ...
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The Adventures of a Country Boy at a Country Fair
James OtisPopular children's novel first published in 1893. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s...
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James L. Otis v. State of Mississippi
Supreme Court of MississippiJames L. Otis was convicted in the Circuit Court of Grenada County, Honorable Clarence E. Morgan, Jr., presiding, on a charge of forcible rape and was sentenced to fifteen (15) yea...
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Teddy and Carrots, Two Merchants of Newspaper Row
James OtisChildren's novel first published in 1895. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s literat...
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A Runaway Brig or An Accidental Cruise
James OtisPopular children's novel first published in 1888. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s...
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Collected Political Writings of James Otis
James Otis & Richard SamuelsonThe writings of James Otis arguably had more influence in America and England before 1774 than those of any other American except John Dickinson. John Adams pointed to Otis as the ...
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The Automobile Girls at Chicago or Winning Out Against Heavy Odds
James OtisPopular children's novel, first published in 1912. Part of the Automobile Girls series.
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Sweet Soul Music
Peter GuralnickA gripping narrative that captures the tumult and liberating energy of a nation in transition, Sweet Soul Music is an intimate portrait of the legendary performersSam Cooke, Ray Ch...
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Down the Slope
James OtisPopular children's novel first published in 1899. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s...
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James Otis Roberts v. Alabama Power
Supreme Court of AlabamaALMON, JUSTICE. James Otis Roberts, a shareholder 1 and former employee of Alabama Power Company, filed this derivative action on behalf of the nominal defendant, Alabama Power Com...
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The Minute Boys of York Town
James OtisPopular children's novel first published in 1912. According to Wikipedia: "James Otis Kaler (March 19, 1848 December 11, 1912) was an American journalist and author of children’s...
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The Boston Massacre
Serena Zabin“Historical accuracy and human understanding require coming down from the high ground and seeing people in all their complexity. Serena Zabin’s rich and highly enjoyable ...
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State Florida v. James Otis Youngblood and Willie Frank Campbell
Supreme Court of FloridaThis is an appeal from a final summary judgment entered in favor of defendantappellee, FMC Corporation. This action was instituted by Ivey Plaints, Inc. and Osceola Fruit Distribut...