Chapter 19 Summary

Everyone in New York protests the Tack Tax immediately. They protest, saying it is discrimination and heavy-handed politics. The pushcart vendors are not particularly affected by this, though Mr. Jerusalem does begin to give away boxes of tacks to anyone who wants them. The teachers are especially upset because they cannot teach properly without their bulletin boards, and you cannot have bulletin boards without tacks. The schools close while the teachers are on strike, and the children are allowed to run free to shoot trucks. Even England gets in on the act, since England is the biggest manufacturer of tacks at the time. The president, under pressure from England, calls the mayor and insists he repeal the tax. Less than a week after the law goes into affect, the Tacks Tax is repealed.

Chapter 19 Analysis

The Tacks Tax is very similar to the...