It is time to reach back to the past, grab hold of the foundation and principles in which this nation was built upon, apply them, and save the future of America.
“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.” – Samuel Adams
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
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“It was now evening, and I immediately dressed myself in the costume of an Indian, equipped with a small hatchet, which I and my associates denominated the tomahawk, with which, and a club, after having painted my face and hands with coal dust in the shop of a blacksmith, I repaired to Griffin’s wharf, where the ships lay that contained the tea. When I first appeared in the street, after being thus disguised, I fell in with many who were dressed, equipped, and painted as I was, and who fell in with me, and marched in order to the place of our destination.” – George Hewes, 1773
On a cold December morning in 1773 in Boston, Massachusetts, a group of concerned citizens gathered at the Old South Meeting House. Among their number was a poor shoemaker named George Hewes, a man of little standing in the bustling city but one who felt his freedom was just as valuable as that of the wealthy merchants and landowners who were also present. At just five foot one, the diminutive Hews had been denied military service due to his stature and had reluctantly settled into a trade he disliked. At heart, the man was an agitator. A veteran of the Boston Massacre, he was a devotee of Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty. He was no one special, just a man who felt his liberty was worth fighting for.
Infuriated by new taxes on imported goods and wary of the British troops stationed around the city, the men gathered that morning intending to take action. Too long ignored by Parliament and local officials seeking to protect their own positions rather than represent the citizens they were sent to govern, Hewes and his compatriots came to discuss a significant choice. Would they challenge British authority and stand up for what they believed was right?
After a heated debate, the meeting resolved that certain ships carrying vast quantities of tea should leave the harbor without the payment of any duty. The act would clearly signal their displeasure with the tax while falling short of any teasonous act the could result in fines, prison, or even hanging. Satisfied with their choice, the group sent a contingent of concerned citizens to report the message to the Customs House and force the release of the ships from the harbor. The collector of customs refused to allow the ships to leave without payment. When word of this decision reached the Old South Meeting Hall, a howl erupted from the hall.
Their bluff had been called. A this point, a compromise would be equal to surrender. What was planned as a peaceful expression of disagreement would now give way to protest. No permission would be sought, and the consequences would be accepted by every man in the room.
By early evening, a group of about two hundred men, some disguised as Indians, assembled on a hill overlooking the harbor. Bellowing war chants, the men marched two by two to the wharf, descended upon the three ships, and dumped their offending cargoes of tea into the water. Hewes gleefully pitched enormous crates of tea overboard, any one of which was likely worth more than a year of income from shoemaking.
The reaction in London was swift and extreme. In March 1774, Parliament passed what later came to be known as the Intolerable Acts, which among other measures closed the port of Boston. The response at home was equally intense, as the Tea Partiers discovered a groundswell of public opinion in their support. Thousands of citizens had detested the arrogance and shortsightedness of British policy, but until then had not found a voice to speak out. Encouraged by the protestors’ bold actions, public opinion galvanized against the Crown and in favor of separatism.
In many ways, the American Revolution did not begin with a shot. It first echoed with a splash as crates of tea tipped into the murky waters of Boston Harbor. While the history books may remember the great leaders of the time and commemorate their achievement, a great deal of the glory must be shared with men like George Hewes–ordinary men who took extraordinary actions in defense of liberty.
Today we have reached a similar point in our country’s history. It is time for ordinary men and women to stand up and take extraordinary steps in defense of our liberties. Our government has grown outside the boundaries that our founding fathers set forth and has no intention of turning back. As citizens, beneficiaries and benefactors of the acts of bravery taken by our founding fathers, we too must take action.
