Introduction
It was a time of great change. A time when one thing was on the
way out and another on the way in.
Old and current value systems were being challenged. For centuries,
people the world over had been oppressed through tyrannical monarchies
and dictatorships. There were no forms of government on earth that
guaranteed, or even advocated rights for the individual -- let alone
freedom itself.
There was anxiety among the masses, with much dissent and
dissatisfaction. There was fear of the unknown -- and yet a strong
desire for something better. On one hand, people wanted change. On the
other, they resisted it when it hit too close to home. There was comfort
in the old ways.
Dissent soon turned to action by way of passionate civil disobedience.
And, finally, civil disobedience itself metamorphosed into full-scale
revolution.
But the period surrounding the American Revolution was also a time of
tremendous creativity and innovation. There were no precedents for what
was about to happen.
Clearly, something was waiting to be born.
* * *
The spark of a fire that would eventually burn around the world
began in the so-called New World -- in the thirteen American colonies,
most of which were formed in the seventeenth century by people seeking a
better life than they had experienced in Europe. By the mid-eighteenth
century, all the colonies had become members of the British empire. Due
to geographic location, along with the wisdom of old King George II,
Americans were pretty much allowed to run their own affairs.
Philadelphia, with a population of 34,000, was the largest city in
America and second largest in the overseas British empire. New York had
a population of 22,000 in the north and, in the south, Charleston, with
approximately 10,000 people, was the chief port of economic activity.
Because Americans were prolific producers of goods, they had a dynamic
and prosperous economy. As a matter of fact, America was famous for its
"ragged currency" -- so named because it changed hands frequently.
American autonomy, however, was significantly disrupted when, at the age
of twenty-two, George III ascended to the throne of Great Britain in
1760. Not as wise or benevolent as his grandfather, the new King
immediately set out to establish his power and influence over the
Americans. His mental attitude and initial actions were like those of a
modern tyrannical boss who arrives to run a new organization-- with no
respect for the culture or individuals that are already in place. Worse
yet, the youthful George III attempted to impose his will and personal
values on a proud and fiercely independent people.
One of the empire's first moves against the colonies was to establish
the Revenue Act of 1764 (better known as the Sugar Act), which imposed a
duty on American imports of molasses as well as limiting distribution
from the West Indies to America. The effect on American production of
distilled whiskey and rum was devastating. Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
New York, and Pennsylvania immediately united and sent out numerous
protestations to London -- all of which fell on deaf ears. While
Americans never did like being told what to do -- and usually ignored
previous edicts or orders -- Great Britain was now threatening their
very livelihood. And that was a different matter altogether.
On August 14, 1764, an effigy was hung from an elm tree in Boston's
Hanover Square.
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