Lenoir Rhyne College - Hacawa Yearbook (Hickory, NC)

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of Liberty continued to exchange ideas through the efforts of the Committee of Correspondence. Formed by Samuel Adams, the Committee used post riders to dehver pamphlets and letters deal- ing with the latest British offenses, and the newest hopes for colonial freedom. One of the best of these riders was the Boston silversmith, Paul Revere. Meanwhile, Benjamin Franklin, Deputy Post- master General, was in England trying patiently to work out the problems between the Crown and the colonies. It was here that he came into possession of some letters which indicated that not all of the problems and questions of the colonies were being forwarded to Parliament; hence the many miscalculations created by the absence of proper information could not be (cat- egorically) placed at the door of Parliament. House of Burgesses ict to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the

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Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third may prof it by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it! Patrick Henrv 1765 Through the years of 1767-69, tensions seethed just below the surface. Most of the trouble occurred in the port cities and surrounding areas. The press became more unified and more outspoken for colonial rights. am »y t fi ' a rut In 1769, George Washington, in an address to the House of Burgesses, called for a set of re- solves which stated only Virginians could tax Virginians. Soon Virginia joined Massachusetts in an importation agreement. The colonies showed unity by boycotting English goods. By the spring of 1770, after the tally sheets of British merchants showed a strong decline in revenue, the Townshend Act died. All that re- mained was a small tax on tea. The American patriots still were not satisfied. Skirmishes be- tween the Sons of Liberty and British troops garrisoned in Boston, New York, and Phila- delphia would occasionally break out, but not until March 5, 1770, was the real spark ignited. A British sentry was standing his post that night in front of the Commons House in Boston while local toughs taunted him. Several other guards came to assist him and soon the mob had grown to considerable size. A shot was fired and, before order was restored, several colonials were dead or wounded. What soon became known as the Boston Massacre was a signal fire to militant radicals like Samuel Adams of Boston. Fanning the flames wherever and when- ever possible, the rebels kept alive the spirit of independence. England remained antagonistic to the cause of independence during 1771-72, steering a middle course with the colonies, trying for some reason- able solution. During this time, however, the Sons Governors Mansion Raleigh Tavern arate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Natures God entitle them, a decent rei

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Military power will never awe a sensible American tamely to surrender his liberty. In 1773, the British Parliament again blundered, but for the last time. To assist the financially troubled East India Company, England gave it an exclusive monopoly on tea imports to the colonies. This sanctioned monopoly, combined with the tea tax still in effect, fanned the flames of revolt. As ships arrived, the patriots held tea parties. In Boston, Sam Adams organized 150 men, disguised as Indians, to dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor in protest of the tax. Independence Hall — Philadelphia This act was repeated in other colonial ports and was, according to the British, the most wanton and unprovoked insult offered to a civil power . . . recorded in history. King George III knew what had to be done: Suppress the revolt with troops, do not negotiate, make America obey. The line had been drawn and the flames assumed the proportions of an inferno. In the fall of 1774, delegates from every colony journeyed to Philadelphia to form the First Continental Congress. The time had finally arrived to display some unity of purpose. Philadelphia, a booming city of 30,000, greeted her visitors with the jubilant sound of pealing church bells. After much arguing and heated debate on pro- separation. -We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal.