The regulars, our rowdy rascals stole them.>
No, I read the HistoryDetectives transcript and looked up Paddock's
Artillery - which was a Massachussetts militia company and had owned
the cannons - meaning they were the property of the people of MA. The
commanding officer, Paddock, was a Tory and was planning to turn them
over to the British troops. Bascially, our forebears managed to get
them before the British did. First, the British never had them.
Second, they were commonwealth property. (See
http://books.google.com/books?id=CvJEg2jiPnsC&pg=RA1-PA541&lpg=RA1-PA541&dq=paddock's+artillery&source=bl&ots=Fbj8vD9fgG&sig=y4JExEpgi6M4A-N_cSs18cYSp-c&hl=en&ei=HUMwS5_xHI34nAfYwaD4CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=paddock's%20artillery&f=false)
Having participated in a documentary myself, I am familiar with the
"dirty secrets" of playing up one fact nearly out of proportion with
the context of events. While HistoryDetectives, Discovery Channel and
HC's Secret Passages do present informaton not normally found in our
history books, they do take some liberties for entertainment value.
And BTW, even within the context of the HistoryDetective episode, the
cannons were not the primary reason for the foray to Concord - rather,
this was an expedition to confiscate all arms and ammunition that
could be found - the cannons were an afterthought. Talk about search
and seizure.
Hancocks rap sheet was quite lengthy.
Hancock did not have a rap sheet, the complaints against him were few
but only grew whenever he made a political speech.
The smuggling complaints stemmed from an initial incident from 1768 ...
What you refer to was the Liberty affair and Hancock did pay the duty
fee (for some cases of Madeira wine). This was the only charge of
smuggling against him, and the only "violence" was the preventing of
the tidesman to go below decks to inspect without a warrant. No
damage of private property ensued. A year later, the tidesman changed
his story declaring that he was forcibly detained. During the trial
which dragged on for months, the suit was dropped and Hancock
acquitted. Historian John W. Taylor researched smuggling during this
period and determined that there was no foundation to the claim that
Hancock was the king of smugglers, let alone conducted smuggling - he
essentially ran a legitimate operation.
Skip ahead to the melee at Lexington Green, Governor Gage afterwards
granted forgiveness to all of those involved who would declare a
renewed loyalty to the crown. The pardon was for everyman
except
Hancock and Adams>
True, but Gage was still under directions to arrest Hancock and Adams
and could not withdraw it - they had left Concord hours before the
British arrived, left no orders for they had no authority to issue
any, and returned to Philadelphia. Gage had already used up his
credibility by that time both in MA and in London. Even Lord
Sackville remarked: "the Bostonians are in the right to make the
King's troops the aggressors and claim a victory." Shortly later,
Gage was relieved.
Generally speaking, all of the complaints in these early days were
specifically against parliament. Appeals to the King for relief, which
were many and quite complimentary of him, assumed that in his high
station he was not aware of the details of the offending Acts. But now
it seems that much of this interpretation of the activity was inspired
after the fact, and in reality, smoke and mirrors.>
Well,yes, but I guess that is what was meant by no taxation without
representation. Even John Adams declared that they would have settled
for dominion status that was already given to newly conquered Canada.
What the people were facing was eventual devolution of their rights
into serfdom. What choice did they really have? If you say
otherwise, would you consent to that for yourself to follow?
But the privilege to rule was divinely inspired. It was not until we
had Payne and Jefferson at work that headway for a more secular view
was made. How is it in England today? Do you feel that your Monarch is
in place By the Grace of God? Or is the office a public institution?
Actually, the English Bill of Rights of 1689 reaffirmed the Magna
Carta and the rights of representational government. Locke and
Montesquieu were already established in the political vocabulary on
both sides of the Atlantic. Lord Pitt and Edmund Burke were outspoken
in their affirmation of representational government, and John Wilkes
was considered the spokesman for Liberty in the years leading up to
the Revolution.
The Rebellion of 1745 was seen then as the last gasp of Stuart
Absolutism for all of the UK, and was never a Scottish attempt for
independence. Had Bonnie Prince Charlie succeeded, 1776 might have
been remembered as the year that both America and England declared
independence. "Tory" originally referred to the Stuart supporters and
to be called a tory later was to be accused of supporting absolutism -
the Hanover dynasty understood this proviso quite well and essentially
left Parliament alone. I have never visted England and I have no
intention to foist my political views on another country, though my
political sympathies are for liberal democracy and republicanism.
Also, I also took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the
US. How do you feel about the authority of leaders?
But we Americans had no money, only goods and labor; and the law of
the day were designed to keep us in that condition
We actually had little money, but wealth was measured mostly in land,
with agriculture being the chief export. But you have to admit, the
Americans tried to work within the system but were continually
rebuffed and thwarted. Manufacturing was deliberately kept to such
small levels as to make the colonists dependent on British-made goods.
Hmmm, must still be in effect. I have little around my home stamped
Made in England except some books printed before 1800; and of course
my valued Top Gear, Black Adder, Fawlty Towers, Dr. Who and Monty
Python collections.
Actually, the ban mostly applies nowadays to the Britannia Beanie
Baby. We just learned we can get it cheaper from elsewhere.
S&F
JMcK, PM
Myrtle #145 AF&AM - Oklahoma City, OK
Jerusalem #3000 FAAM - Washington, DC