Saugus Iron Works vividly
depicts ironmaking's critical role in Colonial America.
Revere's print served
to stir anti-British sentiment and cast the mob as victims of British
aggression.
By 1786, many
Massachusetts farmers faced dim economic prospects. Their debt loads were
crippling them and foreclosure proceedings threatened their property holdings.
The American Revolution
Massachusetts emerged
as America's first political hub during the American Revolution. Though many
early settlers dissented from Church of England beliefs, Puritans still heavily
influenced colony life by founding educational institutions like Harvard
College and practicing elitism that created distinctions among social classes.
Furthermore, due to this revolution many merchants as well as skilled artisans
began emerging to build ships for fishing expeditions and other commercial
ventures.
After the Boston Tea
Party, British officials implemented measures to enforce discipline and control
in the colonies. They increased taxes on goods produced by colonists while
sending soldiers as reinforcement of police power. Independent-minded colonists
became embittered and their feelings of resentment manifested themselves into
acts of resistance and violence.
While the Patriots and
Sons of Liberty agitated for action against the Crown, other colonists
preferred to remain part of it. Those who opposed Coercive Acts and boycotted
trade with Britain became known as Non-Importationists.
By 1763,
non-importation activists had grown into thousands and a widespread boycott
network was being formed throughout all 13 colonies. Their boycotting targeted
English goods seen as being connected with oppressive government actions like
taxes under Townshend Revenue Act.
On April 18, 1775,
colonists engaging British troops fought at Lexington and Concord. This
"shot heard around the world" marked the official start of the American
Revolution.
In 1774, Parliament
enacted several acts to further consolidate its control over 13 colonies -
commonly referred to as the "Intolerable Acts." Along with increasing
taxes, Parliament also passed an Administration of Justice Act and Quartering
Act which enabled British soldiers to stay in port cities.
Participants of this
program will explore the influences that led to the American Revolution in
Massachusetts. Students will examine an array of materials such as eyewitness
accounts, images and documents as they study how events at Lexington &
Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga Valley Forge & Yorktown were perceived by
different audiences over time - as well as learning about printers' vital role
in inciting rebellion & creating pan colony coalitions.
Shays’ Rebellion
At the outset of the
Revolutionary War, middle-class farmers in rural Massachusetts paid to defend
their homes and families against British invasion. But after it ended they
found themselves facing rising taxes and state demands for payment--often in
paper currency they did not possess or access. Farmers fell further into debt,
facing foreclosure on their farms. Many turned to special meetings, protests,
shutting courts jailing debtors or special "Regulators" groups
committed to reining in government excesses with strategies similar to those they
employed against Britain 13 years earlier.
In 1786, Daniel Shays
led a rebellion. His followers became known as "Shaysites." These
rebels included many veterans of the Revolutionary War and property-owning
farmers loyal to republicanism who believed their fundamental rights had been
violated through government action, such as those found in the Declaration of
Independence. Furthermore, these "Shaysites" believed their goals
aligned with republicanism ideals.
Nationalist leaders
used the threat of rebellion as a tool to strengthen their control of
Massachusetts; James Bowdoin--a wealthy shipowner involved with Triangle trade
merchant and bitter Hancock rival--formed an army to disperse any revolt that
might arise in response.
The rebellion rocked
the country and highlighted long-simmering grievances about American politics.
It strengthened those favoring a stronger central government while convincing
some who were undecided that change was needed - particularly George
Washington, who had previously opposed strong centralization, into attending
Philadelphia's Constitutional Convention as an observer.
Amy Stevens Marini
argues that Shays' Rebellion occurred just as Congregationalism was becoming
less influential in rural New England, leading to religious pluralism being
practiced there instead. This cultural disruption only compounded an already
severe taxation crisis by further destabilizing civic authority structures.
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre
was an incident between British troops and an angry crowd in 1770 which was
widely publicized, sparking unrest among colonists years prior to the
Revolution. It increased British unpopularity across colonial America.
Although the exact
details surrounding the shootings on King Street remain in dispute, most
historians agree it was precipitated by tensions between Boston's civilian
population and the British government. Prior to March 5, Bostonians and their
families perceived British soldiers who patrolled their streets as invaders who
harassed them with insults or rocks; angry mobs would confront British
loyalists supporting the government as well. Christopher Seider's death by one
of these soldiers incited even greater unrest throughout their community.
Tensions flared on
March 5 when a crowd of day laborers, apprentices and merchant sailors attacked
soldiers stationed outside of the Custom House on King Street with snowballs
and sticks, prompting one soldier to fire shots in response to someone yelling
"fire." Five civilians including Crispus Attucks who had escaped slavery
earlier were killed including Crispus himself.
The Boston Massacre
marked the catalyst that set off the American Revolution, yet its significance
goes far beyond one night in 1770. Over time, it became a rallying point for an
emerging movement known as Sons of Liberty; these sources can be found in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The Sons of Liberty
saw the Boston Massacre as an opportunity to free citizens from British
centralized authority and establish their own shadow government, the Committees
of Correspondence. Local groups across colonies formed these committees as a
means of identifying enemies of liberty movements while communicating among
themselves; eventually replacing royal governments as sources of information
during revolutionary struggles.
The Constitutional Convention
On July 26, 1787, when
the Convention opened in Philadelphia, its goals were clear. A Committee of
Detail was convened with John Rutledge serving as chairman, while Edmund
Randolph, Oliver Ellsworth, and James Wilson also served. To produce its draft
Constitution draft they used state constitutions, Articles of Confederation
plans submitted to them as sources, as well as any plans submitted during
deliberations to draw inspiration for their draft document.
Delegates quickly
reached an agreement on the basic structure of their new national government.
There would be a bicameral legislature with two chambers (upper house and lower
house) consisting of both representatives and senators from each state; two
seats in both chambers would be allocated based on population representation in
each house; there would also be one four-year president, who could veto any
laws passed by Congress without his signature being required; finally a
convention-wide system was devised for electing the president and other federal
officers
But not all delegates
were Federalists; Anti-Federalists still held most seats at the convention.
Debate ensued, and some anti-Federalists launched attacks against issues
ranging from lack of rights bill, discrimination against southern states in
navigation legislation and direct taxation policies, loss of state sovereignty
to discriminatory taxation based on income levels as part of direct taxation
schemes imposed directly.
At an essential moment
during the Convention, Governor John Hancock made an offer that might win over
anti-Federalist delegates: He suggested proposing amendments including a bill
of rights and amendments pertaining to Massachusetts. Madison later
acknowledged this offer was the "great turning point in the
Convention."
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