On this day – October 28, 1644 – Concerned citizens of New Amsterdam (New York City) protested a new tax on Beer. They pleaded that, “…this will probably have to be paid by the poor, who are unable to procure beer for the sick and wounded….” Beer Taxes were a constant complaint of Dutch New Yorkers. It and other regressive taxes caused the citizens to look upon their leaders with disdain. This contributed to the settlers giving up the colony to the English that year without firing a shot.
