The Glorious Cause - Jeff Shaara [1]
The American Revolution was in many ways our first civil war, and eventually became the first true world war. But regardless of the scope and the numbers, it was a war fought by individuals, whose sacrifice and dedication secured the existence of this nation. It is regrettably easy for us to take for granted the freedoms we live under without considering who paid the price to secure them. That is only one reason among many that these extraordinary people must be remembered. That is, after all, the purpose of this story.
—JEFF SHAARA
JUNE 2002
INTRODUCTION
AT THE END OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR IN 1763, THE VICTORIOUS British government is nearly bankrupt from the costs of the war. Beginning in 1765 with the Stamp Act, the young King George III begins to enact a series of taxes, feeling that the American colonists who have benefited from the protection of the British army should show their appreciation by paying the cost. As these taxes are enacted by the British Parliament, the response in America is not what the king expects. For nearly a century, the American colonies have been allowed to manage most of their own affairs, and each has its own colonial legislature. The king’s policies begin to intrude upon the fragile autonomy of the colonies, and the protests grow.
Hiding from the harsh eye of British law, a secretive group of men organize to protest the policies of King George. They call themselves the Sons of Liberty. They are led by Samuel Adams, a man with a talent for propaganda, who recognizes that the true power in the colonies lies in the hands of the people. The only means of tapping that power is by appealing to emotion. In 1770, what begins as the mean-spirited taunting of a British sentry grows into a violent mob, which escalates further into a panicked response from British troops, who kill five civilians. As tragic as the event is, the event itself is not as significant as how it is used. The Sons of Liberty label the tragedy the Boston Massacre, and for the first time, newspapers become an effective tool of protest. With relentless energy, and a considerable skill at manipulation of facts, Adams raises the awareness of the people of Boston to what he describes as outright oppression by the British. The protests continue, escalate, and in 1773, in a hard slap at British authority, three shiploads of British tea are tossed into Boston Harbor.
Throughout this entire process, King George and his government are utterly baffled by the outcries against what they still believe are reasonable demands. Though they occasionally bend to the protests, the king will never concede the last word, and he views the upstart colonists with increasing hostility.
Throughout the British empire, no citizens of any colony are granted the full rights of Englishmen, something the British government blithely takes for granted. The Americans see differently, and in 1775, each colonial assembly chooses men to represent them at the First Continental Congress, an attempt to unite the thirteen colonies into one voice. Meeting in Philadelphia, the congress is a strange mix of cultures and special interests, each of the colonies separated by boundaries far more cultural than geographical. For the first time, Americans begin to understand their true diversity, and the challenge of creating a united voice is nearly impossible to overcome. Despite their differences a spirit of cooperation brings them together the following year, when the Second Continental Congress convenes.
The Continental Congress is an assemblage of the finest minds in the colonies, and as the men come to know each other, the single voice finally begins to form. King George and his government refuse all attempts at reconciliation, regard the congress as a criminal body, and, by doing so, further strengthen congress’ unity. King George and his ministers have unknowingly made a disastrous blunder.
Though the congress continues to press for a peaceful resolution to the controversies, the British government turns a deaf ear to any correspondence the