Boston Minutemen Campground, Littleton, Massachusetts
He who walks with the wise, grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. ~ Proverbs 13:2
No visit to the Boston area would be complete without a history lesson. Boston is ripe with those, so you’ll probably get a lot of history lessons, since we’re stationed here for seven days. The first is from a book we have by Frommer’s titled ‘23 Great drives in New England’.
Did you know that Boston is considered to be the birthplace of our nation?
The American perspective of the War of Independence is simple: the Colonists were oppressed by King George III and Parliament and justifiably rebelled. The issues were a little more complex. In the early days, there were no “states” as such. The Colonies differed in population and style of government: some depended on fishing and trade, others on faring and tobacco. Although links with the Mother Country were strong for economic and cultural reasons, the Colonists had become increasingly independent-minded during the century and a half since the first settlers arrived.
A turning point in American history was the defeat of the French and the Native Americans in the war from 1756 to 1763. This gave the New Englanders, and the colonies along the coast to the south, a vision of vast lands stretching westward and a sense of “new” country to be developed. Relations with Britain, however, became strained when Parliament decided that the colonies should help pay for the seven years of war; after all, the English reasoned, they were defending Colonial Lands. Moreover, a 10,000-strong army was still needed to protect the Colonies. A monopoly on trade was proclaimed, restricting Colonists to dealing only with Britain and other British possessions (notably the West Indies). Further, a ban was issued on new settlements west of the Appalachians.
Although these restrictions rankled, what inflamed Colonial passions was direct taxation. Traditionally, Britain had raised money by customs duties on shipping: The Stamp Act in 1765 set a new precedent. This placed a charge on all contracts, deeds, newspapers and legal documents. Protests forced its repeal within a year, but other revenue-rasiers followed, only to be repealed. Parliament decided to stand firm on one, however. That was the tax on tea.
After the French and Indian War, economic times were hard for the Colonists, and the new rules hurt financially. But the Colonists also protested on principle. “No taxation without representation” was the cry at public meetings and in pamphlets. Articles questioned the legality of such taxes, claiming that they infringed the charters of some of the Colonies.
Boston was an important focus of militant feelings, which periodically exploded into riots. One relatively minor event, on March 5, 1770, became a legend. A lone British sentry on duty at the Custom House was harassed by a crowd. Reinforcements arrived, but the mob continued to bait the soldiers, heckling them and throwing stones. Shots were fired; five Colonists died. This incident became known as the “Boston Massacre” and was used by leaders such as Samuel Adams to whip up emotions.
Three years later, in December, came one of the most colorful incidents of the era, the Boston Tea Party. As a protest against the tax of 3 pence per pound on tea, about 100 men, disguised as Native Americans, boarded the newly arrived HMS Dartmouth. Its cargo of 300 chests of tea was thrown overboard. In response, General Gage and four British regiments were sent to Boston, and the port was closed down in 1774.
The scene was set for the smoldering coals of resentment to be ignited. In April, 1775, it was reported to General Gage that farmers in Concord, a small village west of Boston, were stockpiling firearms. He ordered 700 British troops to march out, confiscate and destroy the Patriots’ illegal cache. On route, they skirmished with the Minute Men (locals who could be ready “in a minute” to fight) in Lexington before being outnumbered in Concord. Instead of withdrawing in an orderly manner, the British confronted the militiamen, lost three soldiers and had to beat a hasty, undignified retreat to Boston.
Some 20,000 Minuet Men rushed to Boston, penning the British forces in. In May, 1775, artillery powder and ammunition captured at Fort Ticonderoga in New York State was hauled overland by the Colonists and used to capture Bunker Hill. Although the Redcoats soon stormed and recaptured it, the cost was hundreds of lives. The psychological victory belonged to the Americans. King George III replied savagely by declaring the Colonies to be in rebellion. Mercenaries were hired in Europe and transported across the Atlantic to augment the troops.
(a side note about the Colonists ‘army’: The Colonists had no regular army. What they did have, however, were militia, small forces of volunteers pledged to be ready at a minute’s notice, giving rise to the name “Minute Men.” Although mainly farmers, the men also hunted for game, using “rifled” guns that were more accurate than the British muskets. Like modern guerilla fighters, the Colonists tended to disappear into the countryside, rather than march along roads as the British did. In any case, British soldiers were easy to spot, because of the bright red coats they wore.)
Not all the Colonists were ready for war. About one-third remained loyal to the crown and another third were neutral. The rest, however, were vociferous and demanded to sever links with the Mother Country. Further British attacks on Falmouth (now Portland, Maine) in October, 1775 and on Norfolk, Virginia on January, 1776, only served to fan the fury. ‘Common Sense’, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine, because a best seller, with 120,000 copies sold in January, 1776 alone. Although he was an Englishman who had lived in the Colonies for only a year, he argued strenuously for independence. In March, 1776, the British withdrew from Boston, never to return.
Fighting, however, continued elsewhere. In May, representatives of all 13 Colonies met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Freedom was the agenda of this Continental Congress. A short document drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia set out the grievances and proclaimed that “these united colonies are, and of the right ought to be, free and independent states.” This was the Declaration of Independence, accepted unanimously by the delegates and signed on July 4, 1776.
Liberty did not come immediately, however. War raged for five years and even after the formal British surrender in 1781. London refused to recognize the Colonies’ independence. Finally, in September, 1783, a peace treaty was signed in Paris, acknowledging that a new nation had been born.
We did laundry, grocery shopping and planned for the next three days in Boston.
And our oldest grandson, Alex started 7th grade today! He wants to be a meteorologist/storm chaser and also enlist in the military, probably the Air Force. Well, I for one am thrilled he wants to be a storm chaser, because tornado chasing is on my bucket list. Gma may just have to push that one to completion. 😊
