After the unexpected-and-brief confrontation with Lexington Minutemen, General Gage’s soldiers marched an additional six miles to Concord, arriving at about 9 am on 19 April 1775. Once at their destination, the redcoats destroyed all the cannon, gunpowder, and ammunition that they could find. As Revere had warned the British officers that detained him, the MA countryside had risen to engage the redcoats, forcing Gage to retreat. All through the afternoon, the retreating redcoats were fired upon from every hiding place imaginable where there were houses/buildings, and from various locations in the open during the 18 mile retreat. By the time the redcoats returned to Charlestown, one-third of the British soldiers had been KIA (Killed-in-Action) or WIA (Wounded-in-Action). In the eyes of London, Gage initiated an “Unnatural Rebellion” with his actions, without accomplishing much, if anything, at all.
Samuel Adams was in Philadelphia for the 2nd Continental Congress on 10 May 1775, unable to return to Boston for obvious reasons. As soon as it was possible after 19 April 1775, Adams had arranged for the accounts of Lexington to travel to London in four separate pathways, with his propaganda experience from the Boston Massacre making him well-prepared to do so. Lexington (and later, Concord) electrified readers across the Colonies. Adams and the Committees of Correspondence (C of C) in MA did their best to suppress any version of Lexington that did not match theirs, stopping riders, opening and confiscating letters, and interfering with the post (mail). As a result, the Adams version of Lexington reached London a full two weeks before Gage’s version.
In Britain, Former MA Governor Thomas Hutchinson advised Lord Dartmouth to ignore the versions from Adams and MA, saying it was pure fiction, like the Boston Massacre; King George III dismissed the initial accounts of 19 April 1775. Philadelphia knew about Lexington by 24 April 1775, and the news reached South Carolina by 9 May 175. George Washington was getting ready to travel to Philadelphia as a VA delegate for the 2nd Continental Congress when he heard the news.
Samuel Adams was in Philadelphia for the 2nd Continental Congress on 10 May 1775, unable to return to Boston for obvious reasons. As soon as it was possible after 19 April 1775, Adams had arranged for the accounts of Lexington to travel to London in four separate pathways, with his propaganda experience from the Boston Massacre making him well-prepared to do so. Lexington (and later, Concord) electrified readers across the Colonies. Adams and the Committees of Correspondence (C of C) in MA did their best to suppress any version of Lexington that did not match theirs, stopping riders, opening and confiscating letters, and interfering with the post (mail). As a result, the Adams version of Lexington reached London a full two weeks before Gage’s version.
In Britain, Former MA Governor Thomas Hutchinson advised Lord Dartmouth to ignore the versions from Adams and MA, saying it was pure fiction, like the Boston Massacre; King George III dismissed the initial accounts of 19 April 1775. Philadelphia knew about Lexington by 24 April 1775, and the news reached South Carolina by 9 May 175. George Washington was getting ready to travel to Philadelphia as a VA delegate for the 2nd Continental Congress when he heard the news.
When the 2nd Continental Congress convened, John Adams took to the offensive, stating that the Colonies should now declare themselves to be free and independent states. In effect, John Adams planted his Rubicon at Lexington and Concord, and while Samuel Adams agreed with his second cousin, Samuel Adams felt far more comfortable anticipating Britain’s next moves than those within the Colonies. On 12 June 1775, Gage declared that Boston was under martial law.
Samuel Adams basked in his notoriety in Philadelphia, as well as from the British, but he became frustrated at the snail’s pace of the 2nd Continental Congress. A constitution needed to be crafted, an army and navy needed to be raised, a new nation needed to be created, and its economy managed. Then came news of the Battle at Bunker Hill in Boston on 17 June 1775. The battle resulted in a British victory, but the losses of the redcoats were at least twice that of the rebels. Dr. Joseph Warren was the de facto commander of the MA forces at Bunker Hill (most of the defensive forces were on Breed’s Hill). The MA forces would almost have certainly prevailed had they not run out of ammunition and abandoned their defensive positions.
Warren was killed in the battle; he almost certainly would have been among the famous Founding Fathers had he lived through the Revolutionary War. Additionally, Samuel Adams lost his closest friend with the death of Warren at Bunker Hill.
After the battle, General Gage sealed off Boston to defend against an attack. Both sides wanted revenge after Bunker Hill, with the British smarting due to the excessive casualties, and the MA forces for giving up the high ground. Gage began to rage against being trapped in Boston, at that point seeing the city as a beyond-worthless base of operations. By October 1775, King George III saw the dire situation in the Colonies as a “Desperate Conspiracy”, and General Gage also subscribed to that view. In his view, Hutchinson no longer saw reconciliation as a possibility.
Samuel Adams basked in his notoriety in Philadelphia, as well as from the British, but he became frustrated at the snail’s pace of the 2nd Continental Congress. A constitution needed to be crafted, an army and navy needed to be raised, a new nation needed to be created, and its economy managed. Then came news of the Battle at Bunker Hill in Boston on 17 June 1775. The battle resulted in a British victory, but the losses of the redcoats were at least twice that of the rebels. Dr. Joseph Warren was the de facto commander of the MA forces at Bunker Hill (most of the defensive forces were on Breed’s Hill). The MA forces would almost have certainly prevailed had they not run out of ammunition and abandoned their defensive positions.
Warren was killed in the battle; he almost certainly would have been among the famous Founding Fathers had he lived through the Revolutionary War. Additionally, Samuel Adams lost his closest friend with the death of Warren at Bunker Hill.
After the battle, General Gage sealed off Boston to defend against an attack. Both sides wanted revenge after Bunker Hill, with the British smarting due to the excessive casualties, and the MA forces for giving up the high ground. Gage began to rage against being trapped in Boston, at that point seeing the city as a beyond-worthless base of operations. By October 1775, King George III saw the dire situation in the Colonies as a “Desperate Conspiracy”, and General Gage also subscribed to that view. In his view, Hutchinson no longer saw reconciliation as a possibility.
The MA delegation in Philadelphia starved for news from home, frustrated that far-flung colonies knew more than did they. Adams, as well as many other delegates, were not pleased when during early-July 1775 a motion was made to craft another appeal to King George III, which eventually became known as the Olive Branch Petition. To Adams and all of New England, independence was now the goal, not reconciliation.
A month earlier in June, a motion was made in the 2nd Continental Congress to elect a commander-in-chief for the forces outside of Boston, which was not yet even close to being an organized army in any way or form. Samuel and John Adams discussed possible options for the commander, with Samuel seeing no real way to elect someone in which a sizable majority would support. On the surface, it seemed to be a no-brainer that a MA (or New England) man should command the forces outside of Boston. John Adams, however, knew exactly who should be in command. The vainglorious John Hancock had come to the conclusion that he was the obvious choice to be commander. So it was quite the shock to Hancock that John Adams, after anonymously bragging up who he was going to nominate,
selected George Washington.
Washington had attended the 2nd Continental Congress in the VA colonel’s militia uniform, visually letting all know that he was willing-and-available for the post, a signal that apparently was lost on Hancock.
Washington, once his nomination was seconded by Samuel Adams (Hancock fumed even more at that point), left the room while the vote took place so there would be no accusation of impropriety. Washington was overwhelmingly selected as the Commander of the Continental Army. Foreshadowing: It would be Samuel Adams, not John Adams, that would pay a price in Boston for supporting Washington over Hancock, such was Hancock’s wealth. power, connections, influence, and vanity.
During the Winter of 1775 - 1776, the MA delegation discovered that Benjamin Church, an ally of Samuel Adams, was a British informer/spy. Church was a member of the Boston C of C, who had written many items, including lyrics for songs for the Sons of Liberty, and was very talented at creating codes and ciphers, and was in a perfect position to be a British spy; Revere had long suspected Church, and Warren had kept his distance, but Samuel Adams had no idea at all, despite what Revere and Warren had told him. It was a shock to Adams that Church and been an enemy within, and that perhaps there was another spy or spies in his fold.
A month earlier in June, a motion was made in the 2nd Continental Congress to elect a commander-in-chief for the forces outside of Boston, which was not yet even close to being an organized army in any way or form. Samuel and John Adams discussed possible options for the commander, with Samuel seeing no real way to elect someone in which a sizable majority would support. On the surface, it seemed to be a no-brainer that a MA (or New England) man should command the forces outside of Boston. John Adams, however, knew exactly who should be in command. The vainglorious John Hancock had come to the conclusion that he was the obvious choice to be commander. So it was quite the shock to Hancock that John Adams, after anonymously bragging up who he was going to nominate,
selected George Washington.
Washington had attended the 2nd Continental Congress in the VA colonel’s militia uniform, visually letting all know that he was willing-and-available for the post, a signal that apparently was lost on Hancock.
Washington, once his nomination was seconded by Samuel Adams (Hancock fumed even more at that point), left the room while the vote took place so there would be no accusation of impropriety. Washington was overwhelmingly selected as the Commander of the Continental Army. Foreshadowing: It would be Samuel Adams, not John Adams, that would pay a price in Boston for supporting Washington over Hancock, such was Hancock’s wealth. power, connections, influence, and vanity.
During the Winter of 1775 - 1776, the MA delegation discovered that Benjamin Church, an ally of Samuel Adams, was a British informer/spy. Church was a member of the Boston C of C, who had written many items, including lyrics for songs for the Sons of Liberty, and was very talented at creating codes and ciphers, and was in a perfect position to be a British spy; Revere had long suspected Church, and Warren had kept his distance, but Samuel Adams had no idea at all, despite what Revere and Warren had told him. It was a shock to Adams that Church and been an enemy within, and that perhaps there was another spy or spies in his fold.
As 1775 came to a close, the 2nd Continental Congress had accomplished very little, other than issuing the Olive Branch Petition and naming Washington as commander of the army. Before the 2nd Continental Congress, Adams had mostly been in his wheelhouse, working to accomplish things mostly on his own terms, but in Philadelphia, he was held hostage by a stalled colonial legislature that debated endlessly without moving forward. Adams consoled himself that Britain would soon do something that would break the legislative logjam.
During early-January 1776, news arrived in Philadelphia that the British had bombarded Norfolk (VA), which at long last got the attention of the mid-Atlantic delegates. That being said, when Adams brought up the idea of a confederation among the Colonies, there was no real support, even from the New England delegates . . . yet.
Thomas Paine had recently arrived in the Colonies, and he published a pamphlet in January 1776 which caused a stir. At that point, it was now Thomas Paine, not Samuel Adams, that became the leading writer for liberty. Among Paine’s logical arguments was the idea that an island was incapable of governing a continent. Where Adams focused on liberty and equality, Paine attacked the monarchy and hereditary succession. Until 1775, Adams had longed for the past, while Paine immediately pushed towards the future, challenging those in favor or reconciliation (which by then did not include Samuel Adams) to identify any positives for the Colonies if that were to occur. As far as Paine was concerned, 19 April 1775 was where the Rubicon was passed. Paine’s pamphlet was titled “Common Sense”, and it served as an accelerant in the general population in the Colonies, but not so much in the 2nd Continental Congress. Adams took advantage of the pamphlet, using pseudonyms to write items in support of Paine’s arguments.
During early-January 1776, news arrived in Philadelphia that the British had bombarded Norfolk (VA), which at long last got the attention of the mid-Atlantic delegates. That being said, when Adams brought up the idea of a confederation among the Colonies, there was no real support, even from the New England delegates . . . yet.
Thomas Paine had recently arrived in the Colonies, and he published a pamphlet in January 1776 which caused a stir. At that point, it was now Thomas Paine, not Samuel Adams, that became the leading writer for liberty. Among Paine’s logical arguments was the idea that an island was incapable of governing a continent. Where Adams focused on liberty and equality, Paine attacked the monarchy and hereditary succession. Until 1775, Adams had longed for the past, while Paine immediately pushed towards the future, challenging those in favor or reconciliation (which by then did not include Samuel Adams) to identify any positives for the Colonies if that were to occur. As far as Paine was concerned, 19 April 1775 was where the Rubicon was passed. Paine’s pamphlet was titled “Common Sense”, and it served as an accelerant in the general population in the Colonies, but not so much in the 2nd Continental Congress. Adams took advantage of the pamphlet, using pseudonyms to write items in support of Paine’s arguments.
Samuel Adams still faced staunch resistance in the 2nd Continental Congress to the idea of a confederation, and it appeared that New England would go its own way on that front. Adams was trapped between New England’s ardor and impatience and the lethargy of the PA delegates. Adams wondered why the British attack at Norfolk and the impact of Common Sense hadn’t knocked any sense into the mid-Atlantic delegations. The main leader of the mid-Atlantic resistance in the 2nd Continental Congress among the mid-Atlantic delegations was PA’s John Dickinson, who had once been in lockstep with Adams, but was now urging accommodation with Britain.
5 March 1776, Dorchester Heights
in Boston: General Washington had successfully got his men to put cannon on Dorchester Heights in one night, surprising Gage and the British. The British didn’t have any soldiers or artillery on the vacant heights, which were southeast from Bunker and Breed’s Hill across Boston and part of the harbor. The British had monitored Dorchester Heights daily, believing if Washington tried to move forces on the high ground that they would easily be forced to flee. One British officer commented that Washington was able to get his men to do something in one night that he couldn’t get his men to do in a month.
Washington placing artillery on Dorchester Heights was the excuse Gage had been waiting for in order to get permission to abandon Boston. While Gage and the British worked to leave Boston, they trashed the city as much as they could, with almost everything of value stolen, damaged, or destroyed; in effect, the British sacked Boston. As it turned out, even before Dorchester Height, London had started the process of relocating Gage and his forces to Halifax, and was even making plans for a large military landing in NYC.
By April 1776, Adams started to use the word independence out loud. New England and the South were in seeming lockstep, but the mid-Atlantic Colonies (NJ, DE, and especially NY & PA) were still holding out for a possible reconciliation. On 8 May 1776, the sound of British artillery was first heard in Philadelphia.
5 March 1776, Dorchester Heights
in Boston: General Washington had successfully got his men to put cannon on Dorchester Heights in one night, surprising Gage and the British. The British didn’t have any soldiers or artillery on the vacant heights, which were southeast from Bunker and Breed’s Hill across Boston and part of the harbor. The British had monitored Dorchester Heights daily, believing if Washington tried to move forces on the high ground that they would easily be forced to flee. One British officer commented that Washington was able to get his men to do something in one night that he couldn’t get his men to do in a month.
Washington placing artillery on Dorchester Heights was the excuse Gage had been waiting for in order to get permission to abandon Boston. While Gage and the British worked to leave Boston, they trashed the city as much as they could, with almost everything of value stolen, damaged, or destroyed; in effect, the British sacked Boston. As it turned out, even before Dorchester Height, London had started the process of relocating Gage and his forces to Halifax, and was even making plans for a large military landing in NYC.
By April 1776, Adams started to use the word independence out loud. New England and the South were in seeming lockstep, but the mid-Atlantic Colonies (NJ, DE, and especially NY & PA) were still holding out for a possible reconciliation. On 8 May 1776, the sound of British artillery was first heard in Philadelphia.
The 2nd Continental Congress created three committees, with John Adams on the one for independence, and Samuel Adams on confederation. Both men were frustrated with the resistance of the PA delegation, led by their chair, John Dickinson (Franklin was part of the PA delegation). Behind the scenes out of session, however, things finally started to move forward, with VA’s Richard Henry Lee introducing a resolution to dissolve all political connections with Britain on 7 June 1776. Towards the end of the debate, Adams gave one of his best speeches, appealing to the delegates that were wavering or holding out. The resolution passed in late-June 1776 by one vote, with many delegates refusing to cast a vote, while others voted very reluctantly in favor. That resolution eventually became known as the Declaration of Independence, and it was in August 1776 when Samuel Adams signed the document right above John Adams, about one-third of the way down the list of signees in the right column under Hancock’s large signature. Adams was convinced that Canada would have joined in independence had the process not been drawn out so long in the 2nd Continental Congress.
The final vote for the Declaration of Independence was 12 - 0 - 1 in favor, with NY abstaining. The Clinton clan, in control of NYC, didn’t want to have any “colonial sharing” with the revenues generated from the Port of New York, but also didn’t want to be the only “nay” vote, so the instructions to the NY delegation were to abstain. Finally, the 2nd Continental Congress could move forward to organize a confederation of states and to form alliances with other nations, namely France. Among the delegates in the 2nd Continental Congress, Adams by far had worked the longest towards the Declaration of Independence, basically for twenty years. The Declaration of Independence was not immediately seen as the precious document it became, yet soon enough the document supplanted the Boston Massacre in significance everywhere except in MA. When the Declaration of Independence replaced the Boston Massacre in the rest of the Colonies, the spotlight was off of MA for the rest of the Revolutionary War in many ways.
The final vote for the Declaration of Independence was 12 - 0 - 1 in favor, with NY abstaining. The Clinton clan, in control of NYC, didn’t want to have any “colonial sharing” with the revenues generated from the Port of New York, but also didn’t want to be the only “nay” vote, so the instructions to the NY delegation were to abstain. Finally, the 2nd Continental Congress could move forward to organize a confederation of states and to form alliances with other nations, namely France. Among the delegates in the 2nd Continental Congress, Adams by far had worked the longest towards the Declaration of Independence, basically for twenty years. The Declaration of Independence was not immediately seen as the precious document it became, yet soon enough the document supplanted the Boston Massacre in significance everywhere except in MA. When the Declaration of Independence replaced the Boston Massacre in the rest of the Colonies, the spotlight was off of MA for the rest of the Revolutionary War in many ways.