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Ahh, The Fourth of July - the holiday conjures up thoughts
of leisurely picnics in the sun with family and friends. Bring
on the burgers, chips, potato salad and cold drinks. What
better excuse for a game of softball, horseshoes, volleyball,
or Frisbee in the park to the beat of favorite rock music?
An evening fireworks display accompanied by the 1812 overture
might provide a grand finale to the occasion. How many of
us can say that halfway through a slice of grandma's homemade
apple pie, we pause to ponder the roots of patriotism and
the significant events which led us to today's celebration
of American Independence?
As many of us might recall from grade or high school history
lessons, the American Revolution of the 18th century ended
British rule in the newly formed colonies and laid the foundation
for the new nation. The onset began at the time King George
III of England ascended the throne in 1760. Colonists of America
had established their own group identity yet they were still
an extension of England, governed by British law. In 1763,
the French and Indian War ended with English Parliament signing
a treaty adding land east of the Mississippi River to the
already expanding British empire. As land claims increased
so did the political grip tighten. Military from the motherland
had been sent to the colonies to appease the Native American
population as land was claimed by new settlers. As time went
on, the British troops' focus shifted to defense of themselves
against colonists who were growing more and more impatient
with stringent and questionable British laws.
Three very significant incidents leading up to the American
Revolution were the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party
and the Stamp Act. The Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, began
when British troops in the Massachusetts Bay Colony tried
to control demonstrations by colonists against the Townsend
Acts, which dictated that taxes be placed on imports from
England. Land taxes had been reduced so to balance the budget,
these new taxes were imposed, primarily to pay salaries of
British colonial military. In reaction to prodding with rock
filled snowballs, British soldiers fired shots killing a handful
of colonists. Samuel Adams, a leading patriot and schemer
of the time spread word of the incident to promote anti-British
feelings.
Taking the settlers one step closer to full-blown battle
was the notorious Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773. Once
again Samuel Adams was up to his antics. A group of Boston
citizens led by Adams protested the British imposed taxes
on imported tea by dressing as Mohawk Indians and raiding
three British ships in Boston Harbor. These vessels just happened
to contain over 300 crates of tea in all. Need it be said
that Boston Harbor took on a lovely brownish-green hue following
this episode? When the local government refused to pay for
the tea, Boston's port was promptly closed.
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the final straw for the new settlers.
The Act required taxation of all printed materials, including
playing cards. Colonists had no representation in Parliament
and thus took issue with such tariffs being imposed.
In April of 1775, gunshots fired at Lexington and Concord
signaled an official beginning to the Revolutionary War. Not
long after this, George Washington took command of the Continental
Army. Thomas Jefferson, with a little help from his friends
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston,
drafted the Declaration of Independence. Congress decided
once and for all to break the ties with British rule on July
2, 1776 with independence reigning as of July 4. The Declaration
summarized the conviction of freedom, listed the reasons for
breaking from Britain and described principles for the running
of the new nation.
In the aftermath of war, many new programs led the way to
reform. The Constitution of the United States was born. Completed
May 14, 1787 in Philadelphia, it replaced the former Articles
of Confederation and addressed specific issues such as the
amount of power to allow central government and how to elect
representatives for Congress. Tax dollars were applied to
educational programs. In 1789, Massachusetts offered public
schooling for both boys and girls. A new attitude prevailed
with "down home" virtue as desirable (George Washington
himself hung up his uniform and went back to farming - for
awhile). Women made real progress toward influencing public
policy. An organized group of women signed a pledge to keep
boycotting imported tea long after the Boston Tea Party. Based
out of Philadelphia, they raised money for Washington's Continental
Army as well. And perhaps most significantly, the Revolution
prompted African Americans to more actively seek freedom from
slavery. In 1781, Elizabeth Freeman, a slave, sued for her
freedom in the state of Massachusetts. Because of her victory,
a law prohibiting slavery was passed in that state. In 1783,
the United States and Great Britain signed a peace treaty
and in 1791, the Bill of Rights was passed by the first Congress
of the United States.
A small slice of the American Revolution added to the recipe
for contemporary Fourth of July celebrations might serve to
remind us of what it took as a nation to get to where we are
today.
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