Summary

In “Voyage Six: 1773,” the narrator notes a revolution was launched when Jonathan Wilcox, a man without religious conviction who had been appointed as rector of a rural Church of England in Maryland, sailed to a court session in Patamoke. The defendants were Simon Steed, Levin Paxmore, and Teach Turlock.

The three were on trial because they refused to pay taxes, 30 pounds of tobacco, to the Church of England. Steed questioned why the Catholics and Quakers had to pay taxes to the Protestant church. He also asked where Teach, who made a living fishing and hunting, would get tobacco to pay the tax. He also pointed out that Wilcox had the habit of putting land given to him instead of tobacco into his name.

Despite Simon’s arguments, he and Levin were both fined 300 pounds of tobacco. Teach was ordered to...