American defiance

PLUS: The truth about The New York Times

There is a story you should know, and it should be shared far and wide. It belongs to all of us. It is a story of rebellion, daring, uprising and betrayal. Yesterday was its anniversary and the Boston Tea Party deserves to be remembered because what it set in motion filtered history and gave birth to the United States. 

There is a looming question at hand about the future of the project begun in Philadelphia in 1776 that deserves serious reflection before it is thrown away by the possibility of a Trump dictatorship and MAGA-controlled government. The events leading up to the shot heard around the world that commenced the American Revolution are simply astonishing. We should celebrate them. Raise a glass tonight for Sam Adams, John Hancock and the thousands of men who filled the Old South Meeting House in ever-increasing numbers during an escalating 20 day crisis in the late fall of 1773. Yet, the story does not start with a colonial mob led by the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Mohawk Indians, carrying axes headed towards the wharf and three anchored whale ships — the Eleanor, Beaver, and Dartmouth. Each was laden with cargo belonging to the East India Company. Some of that cargo was British Tea and the colonists had forbade its unloading. 

What would you have done in 1772 if you were a wealthy Philadelphian working in London when you were shown a letter from the Royal Governor of Massachusetts Thomas Hutchinson to the King’s Ministers advising a crackdown in Massachusetts that included the restriction of individual liberty? The matter was complicated by the reality that the letters were private, confidential and government business. 

The deputy postmaster general of North America was the most famous American of his era, known throughout the colonies, European Royal Courts and London, where he had lived since 1757.  Additionally, he was the colonial agent of Georgia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Massachusetts Bay Colonies, where he represented their interests before the Crown. 

Benjamin Franklin decided to secretly copy the letters and send them to the leaders of the Massachusetts Assembly where he hoped they would trigger an uprising against the man who had written them, Thomas Hutchinson, an old friend and ally. Franklin saw no other way out of the rising tensions other than the hope that cooler heads on both sides of the Atlantic would prevail and recoil at Hutchinson’s intemperance and misjudgment. 

When the letters reached Massachusetts, they sparked outrage amongst colonial leaders and were printed in newspapers from Boston to Georgia. More than a tempest was brewing. 

The Massachusetts Assembly demanded the resignation or firing of Royal Governor Hutchinson and it fell on their agent, Franklin, to present their petition against the governor to the King’s Privy Council.  

Franklin believed that he was obligated to disclose that he was the source of the leaked letters and complete mayhem ensued. All of this occurred before word reached London in January about what had occurred in Boston on December 15, 1773.

More than 92,000 pounds of British East India Company Tea were thrown from the ships into the harbor. Here is the description of George Hewes, a participant:

The tea destroyed was contained in three ships, lying near each other at what was called at that time Griffin's wharf, and were surrounded by armed ships of war, the commanders of which had publicly declared that if the rebels, as they were pleased to style the Bostonians, should not withdraw their opposition to the landing of the tea before a certain day, the 17th day of December, 1773, they should on that day force it on shore, under the cover of their cannon's mouth.

On the day preceding the seventeenth, there was a meeting of the citizens of the county of Suffolk, convened at one of the churches in Boston, for the purpose of consulting on what measures might be considered expedient to prevent the landing of the tea, or secure the people from the collection of the duty. At that meeting a committee was appointed to wait on Governor Hutchinson, and request him to inform them whether he would take any measures to satisfy the people on the object of the meeting.

To the first application of this committee, the Governor told them he would give them a definite answer by five o'clock in the afternoon. At the hour appointed, the committee again repaired to the Governor's house, and on inquiry found he had gone to his country seat at Milton, a distance of about six miles. When the committee returned and informed the meeting of the absence of the Governor, there was a confused murmur among the members, and the meeting was immediately dissolved, many of them crying out, "Let every man do his duty, and be true to his country"; and there was a general huzza for Griffin's wharf.

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.

When we arrived at the wharf, there were three of our number who assumed an authority to direct our operations, to which we readily submitted. They divided us into three parties, for the purpose of boarding the three ships which contained the tea at the same time. The name of him who commanded the division to which I was assigned was Leonard Pitt. The names of the other commanders I never knew.

We were immediately ordered by the respective commanders to board all the ships at the same time, which we promptly obeyed. The commander of the division to which I belonged, as soon as we were on board the ship appointed me boatswain, and ordered me to go to the captain and demand of him the keys to the hatches and a dozen candles. I made the demand accordingly, and the captain promptly replied, and delivered the articles; but requested me at the same time to do no damage to the ship or rigging.

We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water.

In about three hours from the time we went on board, we had thus broken and thrown overboard every tea chest to be found in the ship, while those in the other ships were disposing of the tea in the same way, at the same time. We were surrounded by British armed ships, but no attempt was made to resist us.

We then quietly retired to our several places of residence, without having any conversation with each other, or taking any measures to discover who were our associates; nor do I recollect of our having had the knowledge of the name of a single individual concerned in that affair, except that of Leonard Pitt, the commander of my division, whom I have mentioned. There appeared to be an understanding that each individual should volunteer his services, keep his own secret, and risk the consequence for himself. No disorder took place during that transaction, and it was observed at that time that the stillest night ensued that Boston had enjoyed for many months.

During the time we were throwing the tea overboard, there were several attempts made by some of the citizens of Boston and its vicinity to carry off small quantities of it for their family use. To effect that object, they would watch their opportunity to snatch up a handful from the deck, where it became plentifully scattered, and put it into their pockets.

One Captain O'Connor, whom I well knew, came on board for that purpose, and when he supposed he was not noticed, filled his pockets, and also the lining of his coat. But I had detected him and gave information to the captain of what he was doing. We were ordered to take him into custody, and just as he was stepping from the vessel, I seized him by the skirt of his coat, and in attempting to pull him back, I tore it off; but, springing forward, by a rapid effort he made his escape. He had, however, to run a gauntlet through the crowd upon the wharf nine each one, as he passed, giving him a kick or a stroke.

Another attempt was made to save a little tea from the ruins of the cargo by a tall, aged man who wore a large cocked hat and white wig, which was fashionable at that time. He had sleightly slipped a little into his pocket, but being detected, they seized him and, taking his hat and wig from his head, threw them, together with the tea, of which they had emptied his pockets, into the water. In consideration of his advanced age, he was permitted to escape, with now and then a slight kick.

The next morning, after we had cleared the ships of the tea, it was discovered that very considerable quantities of it were floating upon the surface of the water; and to prevent the possibility of any of its being saved for use, a number of small boats were manned by sailors and citizens, who rowed them into those parts of the harbor wherever the tea was visible, and by beating it with oars and paddles so thoroughly drenched it as to render its entire destruction inevitable.

So it came to pass, as one eminent historian noted in Ken Burns’ biography of Dr. Franklin, that 70-year-old Benjamin Franklin entered Whitehall as an Englishman and left an American. He was attacked, castigated, belittled and insulted and so was America inside the room known as the “cockpit” where Henry VIII had once presided over cockfights. Franklin was torn to shreds, dismissed, fired and returned home to a hero’s welcome in the Spring of 1775. He was immediately appointed to the Continental Congress gathering in Philadelphia. 

While at sea, the fruits of British policy towards the ever-united colonies was harvested on the road between Concord and Boston. The shot heard ‘round the world had been fired. History had been ruptured. The British policy of collective punishment, military occupation, the suspension of rights and economic deprivation was answered. 

Ben Franklin would live until 1791. He would sign the Declaration of Independence and help guide the US Constitution into existence. He died one year after the Bill of Rights was passed. 

2024 will decide if the end has arrived for America. Are we ready to turn over our fate to Donald Trump and the MAGA cause? Are we ready to submit? 

I don’t think so. Never. 

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VIDEO COMMENTARY: The truth about The New York Times

If you didn’t get a chance to read my reaction to James Bennet’s essay about his experience at The New York Times, I break down the reporting on how the news organization lost its way, and how it failed to be an adequate watchdog of American democracy:

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