Pod Insights American History Tellers American Revolution | Liberty or Death | 1 About this episode In 1765, King George III and his ministers in the British Parliament sparked outrage in the American Colonies when they announced they were issuing the Stamp Act, the first direct tax on the Colonies. American critics decried the “taxation without representation,” and Boston radicals staged protests, boycotts, and attacks on tax collectors.
After a decade of growing tension over taxes, representation, and imperial control, the first shots of the Revolutionary War rang out in the Massachusetts countryside, as colonial militiamen confronted British regulars on the Lexington village green.
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0:17 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's the night of April 18th, 1775. You're a major in the British Army and you're galloping down a country road outside Lexington, Massachusetts with a small contingent of soldiers. Tomorrow morning, you're planning to seize colonial munitions stored in the nearby town of Concord, part of a move to crack down on rising defiance in the colonies. But right now, your objective is to overtake a lone colonist racing down the road ahead of you. You know patriot spies are everywhere, and you can't risk word of your plans getting out, so you spur your men on, fanning out to hem in the rider and force him to pull up short. With a tug of your reins, you close the ring around him and draw your pistol. I order you to dismount.
1:00 Lindsay Graham? The rider swings down from his saddle in a smooth motion and raises his hands in a defensive gesture, but you keep your pistol steady. Who are you? My name is Revere. What, you don't mean Paul Revere, the very same? You trade knowing glances with the others. Revere's reputation as a rabble-rouser is known to every British soldier in Boston. You can't believe your luck. And what are you doing galloping through the countryside in the middle of the night? Well, what business is it of yours? In my experience, when a man is riding that fast, it is usually because he has something to hide. A hint of unease crosses Revere's face before he gathers himself and squares his shoulders. I have nothing to hide. And what gives you the right to detain a peaceful citizen?
1:43 Lindsay Graham? The authority of His Majesty King George III. Now answer my question. I hope you know you're not going to achieve your goal tonight. Your heartbeat quickens. You wonder whether the rebels have discovered your plans for Concord, but you keep yourself composed. I don't know what you mean. We're patrolling the road in search of deserters. Oh, you're lying about that. I know what you're after, but it's no use. I've already warned every village and farm along this road. And it won't be long until 500 militiamen are gathered in Concord. You tighten your grip on your pistol, your thumb twitching over the hammer. Sir, tell the truth, or I'll scatter your brains in the dirt. I'm not afraid of you, and I am telling the truth. How about you do the same? Uh, search him for weapons. What was that?
2:26 Lindsay Graham? Revere grins, his eyes full of mischief. Well, it's a signal volley, a warning for every minuteman in earshot.
2:35 Lindsay Graham? You exchange uneasy glances with your fellow officers, and a creeping fear takes hold. If Revere isn't lying, and the rebels have discovered your plans, instead of raiding a stockpile tomorrow morning, you'll be marching into battle.
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3:22 Speaker 02 Hey, what's up, guys? It's Haley Bailey. Okay, I need to tell you about something. I just got YouTube Premium. It's got tons of awesome features like offline downloads, so I can download my favorite videos before I travel and watch them whenever I don't have Wi-Fi. Because we all know airplane Wi-Fi is the worst. I get ad-free, I get background play, and there's like a ton more in there. You should try it. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. So try YouTube Premium for two months free at youtube.com/premium. Trial eligibility varies. Terms apply. Cancel anytime. That's a mouthful.
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4:27 Lindsay Graham? From Audible Originals, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story.
4:49 Lindsay Graham? On our show, we take you to the events, the times, and the people that shape America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. We'll put you in the shoes of everyday people as history was being made, and we'll show you how the events of the times affected them, their families, and affects you now.
5:07 Lindsay Graham? On the night of April 18, 1775, British soldiers arrested colonial silversmith Paul Revere near Lexington, Massachusetts. He had ridden all night from Boston, spreading the word that the British were planning to raid a stockpile of colonial munitions. The next day, British soldiers and American militiamen clashed at the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the culmination of a decade of tensions over taxes, representation, and imperial control. And as colonial resistance escalated into open revolt, 13 colonies joined together to break the bonds of British rule and found a new nation, the United States of America. But from the start, the odds were stacked against them.
5:48 Lindsay Graham? For eight long years, an amateur American army battled the world's greatest military power in a war defined by immense sacrifice and devastating loss. But the American Revolution was not merely a conflict between the American colonies and the British Empire. It was also a brutal civil war that tore families and neighbors apart. It was a war fought in pursuit of the highest ideals of freedom and equality, and it was also a ruthless contest over land, power, and loyalty, one that preserved slavery and dispossessed Native Americans, stark reminders of the limits of revolutionary ideals. At a time when most of the Western world was ruled by kings, thousands of ordinary
6:29 Lindsay Graham? people risked everything to found a republic on the radical idea of self-rule. The American Revolution was unlike anything the world had ever seen, upending old powers, shattering centuries of tradition, and giving birth to a bold experiment in democracy by putting sovereignty in the hands of the people. This is episode one in our six-part series on the American Revolution: Liberty or Death.
6:57 Lindsay Graham? On July 3rd, 1754, a 22-year-old major in the Virginia militia led 300 men in a losing battle deep in the wilderness of the Ohio Territory. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Virginians took refuge in a crude circular stockade dubbed Fort Necessity. Heavy rain poured down as they faced relentless fire from hundreds of French and Indian enemy marksmen. By the late afternoon, rain had flooded the fort and soaked the defenders' powder and muskets. So with ammunition exhausted and a third of his force killed or wounded, the young major had no choice but to surrender. His name was George Washington. Ambitious but inexperienced, he had just suffered one of the worst days of his young
7:40 Lindsay Graham? life, his first military defeat in a skirmish that marked the start of the French and Indian War. This was a conflict that had been brewing for years. By 1754, growing white settlement in the Ohio River Valley sparked a war between Great Britain and France and their Native American allies. Virginia leaders ordered Washington to lead a militia to the Ohio Country to defend British claims. But despite his bruising defeat at Fort Necessity, his superiors gave him a second chance, and over the next few years, he cut his teeth as a military leader. By the time he retired from the militia four years later, in 1758, he had learned invaluable lessons about discipline, alliance-building, and adaptability, experience he would carry
8:24 Lindsay Graham? with him in the years to come. Several years later, in 1763, the French and Indian War ended in a decisive British victory. In the aftermath, France was forced to hand over nearly all of its North American territorial claims, including the resource-rich, strategically vital Ohio River Valley. Britain's triumph sparked celebrations throughout the 13 British colonies. From New England to the Carolinas, colonists rang church bells and lit bonfires to mark the dawn of a new era of peace and prosperity. Their optimism was fueled in part by America's explosive growth. The population of the 13 colonies had doubled every 25 years, and by the time of the war's end in 1763, the colonies were home to nearly 2 million people, including Native Americans,
9:09 Lindsay Graham? enslaved laborers, and settlers from a wide range of European nations. But along with their ethnic diversity, the colonies were also shaped by extraordinary geographic differences. In the tightly knit communities of New England, harsh winters and rocky soil resulted in an economy centered around small family farms, fishing, and trade. The mid-Atlantic colonies had a mixed economy and a high level of religious tolerance that attracted Quakers and Jews. In the South, a warm climate and fertile soil fostered the growth of large plantations powered by enslaved labor with a focus on high-value crops like tobacco and rice. But despite these differences, colonial Americans were bound by their strong sense of British identity.
9:51 Lindsay Graham? They read British books, wore British clothes, and spoke proudly of their contributions to the growing British Empire. In 1760, leading colonist Benjamin Franklin wrote, "I have long been of the opinion that the foundations of the future grandeur and stability of the British Empire lie in America." Franklin pointed to the colony's vast resources and remarkable population growth as key drivers of British wealth and power. But unlike Britain, where a small elite owned most of the land and many lived as dependents, white colonists in America viewed ownership of land and property as the foundation of their personal freedom. Looking west, they saw a vast terrain ripe for settlement, and many looked forward to the day when white settlers would occupy the entire continent.
10:36 Lindsay Graham? And one man building wealth off this westward expansion was George Washington. After making a name for himself fighting in the French and Indian War, he'd married the wealthy widow Martha Dandridge Custis, and the newlyweds had moved to Mount Vernon, the tobacco plantation Washington inherited in northern Virginia. And as he threw himself into life as a planter, he purchased slaves and expanded his estate. He also became an avid speculator in western land, eventually buying up more than 50,000 acres, and he encouraged others to do the same, advising one of his neighbors that in the west, an enterprising man with very little money may lay the foundation of a noble estate. But despite Washington and others' rosy visions of upward mobility, the reality remained
11:19 Lindsay Graham? that most of the continent was still controlled by native people. As white settlers streamed into the Ohio River Valley, their encroachment on native lands sparked a widespread uprising in the summer of 1763 known as Pontiac's Rebellion. Indian nations attacked British forts and settlements, defending their lands and autonomy, and in response to this violence, the British government handed down a proclamation in October 1763 declaring all land west of the Appalachians off limits to white settlement and speculation. Their intent was to rein in frontier violence and defend the sovereignty of their native allies, but by drawing a line down the continent, the British threatened the ambitions of land-hungry colonists, and they soon discovered that a measure designed to promote peace and stability
12:03 Lindsay Graham? had become a source of bitter resentment.
12:09 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's a cold snowy morning in January seventeen sixty-four in the Ohio Territory. You're a British soldier on horseback, patrolling the woods a few miles south of Fort Pitt. You're occupied by thoughts of returning to your lodgings to warm up with a glass of sherry, when you come upon a campsite where a trio of settlers are laying out the perimeter of a log cabin. A bearded man wearing a patched coat drops his axe in the snow and beckons you over. "Oh, soldier, I'm glad you're here. I've got a bone to pick with you." With the pull of the reins, you bring your horse to a stop in front of the settler. "There's an Indian down the creek who keeps pestering me. He says this isn't my land, and he's been threatening me." You breathe a heavy sigh. "Well, I'm afraid he's correct. You have no claim to this land. But I bought it fair and square.
12:54 Lindsay Graham? I can show you the deed, and I've spent all winter clearing it with my own two hands." "Well, that doesn't change the fact that by order of the Crown, this land is reserved for the Shawnee. Any purchases of restricted territory are now invalid." "Invalid? Whatever happened to the spoils of victory? I fought in the war, you know. I should have every right to this land." "Well, His Majesty disagrees. I understand your frustration, of course, but this region is off limits to settlement." "So then what? You're just gonna let the savages run wild?" "Those so-called savages are allies. It would be unwise to antagonize them. You and your friends need to pack up your things and leave this area." "And go where?" "I don't care where you go, just as long as it's back east over the mountains.
13:37 Lindsay Graham? And I'll be back in a few days with a detachment of soldiers to see that you obey." With the flick of the reins, you turn your horse away from the settler, but not before you see him raise his fist. "Oh, you come and try. This is my land, and I won't be leaving." You ride away, feeling exhausted by having to police people who insist they own any piece of soil their boots touch. They curse you every chance they get, but they still expect you to protect them from the Indians. It seems to you that if this is what loyalty looks like out on the frontier, the Crown will spend more money restraining its own colonists than it ever did fighting the French.
14:18 Lindsay Graham? When the colonists received news of the 1763 proclamation, many were outraged, especially those who believed they'd earned the right to settle in the western lands after fighting in the French and Indian War. The Crown's new policy forced settlers to abandon their farms and homesteads, but it also threatened the fortunes of wealthy land speculators like George Washington. But Washington had no intention of giving up his investments, so he dismissed the proclamation as a temporary measure designed to quiet the minds of the Indians and continued purchasing western land. He was not the only one. Britain struggled to enforce the proclamation as settlers ignored its boundaries and pushed westward anyway, resentful that distant powers in London were trying to control their lives.
15:01 Lindsay Graham? And the colonists' resentments were not unfounded. The proclamation of 1763 was part of a broader British government effort to reform the empire and redefine relations with the North American colonies. Behind that broader effort was Britain's reigning monarch, King George III, who had ascended to the throne three years earlier at the age of 22. But despite his elevated status, George was a man of simple tastes. He preferred plain food and modest clothes, and he refused to wear a wig despite prevailing fashions. He loved architecture, music, and collecting books, and he was widely admired as a devoted husband and family man. More than anything, he saw himself as a benevolent monarch, declaring that he strove "to preserve
15:42 Lindsay Graham? the freedom, happiness, and glory of my dominions and all their inhabitants." But his lofty ideals collided with the practical realities of managing a far-flung empire, which not only included the 13 colonies, but the far more valuable sugar islands of the Caribbean, as well as important economic footholds in India. And after the French and Indian War, the king's ministers resolved to tighten control over the fast-growing American colonies and raise new revenue. Britain had left 10,000 troops in America to police the frontier and defend the 1763 proclamation, but the war had nearly doubled Britain's national debt, straining its ability to maintain such a costly military presence. So ultimately, the king's ministers concluded that Americans should help pay for their
16:26 Lindsay Graham? own defense, and that meant new taxes. In 1764, British Prime Minister George Grenville pushed through the Sugar Act, imposing taxes on Caribbean imports such as molasses. Because the law mainly affected merchants, opposition was largely confined to the heavily mercantile colonies of New England. But Grenville drew more controversy when in February 1765, Parliament handed down the Stamp Act. This law, set to take effect on November 1st of that year, would require all colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used, from newspapers and legal documents to playing cards. In Britain, taxpayers had paid a stamp tax for more than 50 years,
17:08 Lindsay Graham? but the Stamp Act was the first time Parliament planned to tax the 13 colonies directly. And when news of the Stamp Act arrived in Virginia that spring, a 29-year-old frontier lawyer named Patrick Henry led the opposition. Henry had only been a member of Virginia's Colonial Assembly for nine days, but in May 1765, he took to the floor with a fiery speech accusing Parliament of taxation without representation. Colonists were accustomed to the Colonial Assembly's instituting taxes and local laws, but they had no representatives in the British Parliament in London. Henry argued that the Stamp Act, a direct tax on printed material imposed by a Parliament in which Virginians had no voice, was an assault on their rights under the British Constitution.
17:53 Lindsay Graham? But when he hinted that King George risked the same fate as the assassinated Roman dictator Julius Caesar, a conservative colleague accused him of treason. Nevertheless, a furious Henry refused to back away from his statement, crying out, "If this be treason, make the most of it!" After heated debate, the Virginia House approved the mildest four of Henry's seven resolutions, uncontroversial statements affirming that the colonists possessed the same rights as subjects living in Britain, including taxation by consent. But newspaper editors across the colonies printed all seven resolutions, including the most radical, in which Patrick Henry asserted that only the Virginian Assembly could tax Virginians. By printing all seven resolutions, the press suggested
18:37 Lindsay Graham? that the entire Assembly endorsed Henry's argument, casting their protest in a more extreme light. And as reports spread, pressure grew on other colonial assemblies to respond in kind. And colonial legislators weren't the only ones to object to the new taxes. In 1765, there were two dozen newspapers in colonial America, then one of the most literate societies in the world, and their printers and editors had a personal stake in a law that tax-printed material. So not only did the Stamp Act directly threaten their livelihoods, they also saw it as an attempt by Parliament to stifle dissent. Printers warned that the tax might mean the death of newspapers, and with them, the death of liberty.
19:17 Lindsay Graham? So as summer turned to fall in 1765, cries of taxation without representation spread like wildfire in taverns and town squares, igniting protests and mob violence. For the first time in their history, the thirteen colonies would begin to form a united front against imperial power.
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20:10 Speaker 02 Hey, what's up, guys? It's Haley Bailey. Okay, I need to tell you about something. I just got YouTube Premium. It's got tons of awesome features like offline downloads, so I can download my favorite videos before I travel and watch them whenever I don't have Wi-Fi. Because we all know airplane Wi-Fi is the worst. I get ad-free, I get background play, and there's like a ton more in there. You should try it. If you like YouTube, you'll love YouTube Premium. So try YouTube Premium for two months free at youtube.com/premium. Trial eligibility varies. Terms apply. Cancel anytime. That's a mouthful.
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21:47 Lindsay Graham? In the summer of 1765, a new leader emerged in Boston, Massachusetts, galvanizing opposition to the Stamp Act. Samuel Adams had failed as a brewer only to find his calling in political propaganda, and he was determined to take a stand against the Stamp Act, which he saw as nothing short of tyranny. With his rumpled clothes, weak voice, and trembling hands, Adams rarely struck a memorable first impression. But despite his unassuming exterior, few could rival his courage and tenacity. He was deeply sensitive to any infringements on colonial rights and declared that his mission was to keep the attention of his fellow citizens awake to their grievances and not let them rest till the causes of their just complaints are removed. Or, as one of his rivals put it,
22:32 Lindsay Graham? "Adam eats little, drinks little, sleeps little, thinks much, and is most decisive and indefatigable in the pursuit of his objects." In the summer of 1765, Adams channeled these energies into a new secret organization made up of radical merchants and artisans. They called themselves the Sons of Liberty, and together they turned outcry into action by staging protests, boycotts, and attacks on tax collectors. On August fourteenth, seventeen sixty-five, the Sons of Liberty focused their anger on local tax agent Andrew Oliver. First, they hung an effigy of Oliver in the branches of a large elm tree in Boston Common, which soon became known as the Liberty Tree.
23:13 Lindsay Graham? Then, after dark, crowds stormed the streets, burned the effigy, and descended on Oliver's home, ready to tear it apart.
23:24 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's late at night on August fourteenth, seventeen sixty-five in Boston. You're the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, and you've dragged the sheriff with you to the home of your brother-in-law, local tax collector Andrew Oliver. You warned London officials that the Stamp Act was a terrible idea, and now your worst fears have come to pass. A mob has wrecked Oliver's home and used his furniture to start a raging bonfire. You step forward into the light of the blaze, feeling the heat on your face. Good people, good people! I must ask you to disperse at once! This is unlawful assembly! A few heads turn, and a man clutching a broken chair holds your gaze. Liberty, property, and no stamps! Property?
24:07 Lindsay Graham? You speak of property while you destroy a man's home! Burn his things to ashes! Mr. Oliver has done nothing but obey the law! A law that pleases Parliament, passed without the consent of this colony! And this is your remedy? Destruction? This is how you show regard for the rights you claim to defend? This is justice! No it is not, sir! Go home, all of you! You glance back at the sheriff for help. Do something! But the sheriff is busy scanning the scene for an escape route. You turn back to the rioter, only to realize that he's taken a step closer. His friends join him, forming a circle around you. You sense the ground shifting beneath your feet. You must see reason! Think about what you're doing! This path can only lead to ruin!
24:53 Lindsay Graham? But the rioter only shakes his head, confidence radiating from him. "Boys, let's show these Tories what we think of their law." A stone strikes your foot, and you stagger back as another flies by your ear. "You're gonna regret this, all of you." Another rock connects with your shoulder, and you know it's time to make your escape. You grab the sheriff by the elbow and pull him away into the darkness. And as the two of you take off, another stone knocks off your hat. Now, more than ever, it's clear that this is no spontaneous act of violence. This anger goes deep, and you're not sure if it can be contained.
25:30 Lindsay Graham? On the night of August 14, 1765, crowds hurled rocks at Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson when he tried to stop them from ransacking the home of stamp agent Andrew Oliver. Oliver resigned the next day, and Samuel Adams celebrated the crowds defiance in the pages of the Boston Gazette, explaining that "the Sons of Liberty were animated with a zeal for their country then upon the brink of destruction, and resolved at once to save her." Less than two weeks later, an even more aggressive mob looted Hutchinson's mansion. He and his family made a narrow escape before crowds wrecked his furniture, paintings, and silverware. But Hutchinson himself opposed the Stamp Act. Still, he called the attack on his home "the most barbarous outrage which was ever committed in America."
26:15 Lindsay Graham? Mob violence soon spread to Newport, Rhode Island, and Charleston, South Carolina, too, where rioting crowds forced crown-appointed stamp agents to resign. And before long, local chapters of the Sons of Liberty sprang up outside of Boston, each organizing protests of their own. In response to this widespread outcry, the Massachusetts Colonial Assembly proposed an intercolonial meeting. In October 1765, delegates from nine colonies traveled to New York for the Stamp Act Congress, where they agreed to draft a formal appeal to Parliament. While affirming their loyalty to the king, who was still widely revered, they urged him to persuade Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act. They insisted that only their own colonial assemblies could levy taxes,
27:00 Lindsay Graham? framing taxation without representation as a violation of their rights as Englishmen. And despite their criticisms of Parliament, protesters made it clear that they were not rejecting British authority altogether. Instead, they simply wanted to protect their rights as subjects of the British Crown. Samuel Adams explained the colonial mindset in a letter to a British friend, writing that the colonists were "so sensible of their happiness and safety in their union with the mother country that they would by no means be inclined to accept independence." But the Stamp Act Congress held by colonial authorities represented a major step toward collective action. The spirit of cooperation was symbolized by the motto they adopted,
27:40 Lindsay Graham? "Join or Die," originally coined by Benjamin Franklin in a failed attempt to rally colonial unity during the French and Indian War. And the Stamp Act Congress's petitions to London was not the only action taken to put pressure on Parliament. Around the same time, 200 merchants gathered in a New York tavern at the end of October to organize a boycott of British goods. Similar boycotts quickly spread throughout the colonies, enforced by the Sons of Liberty, who threatened retaliation to anyone who refused to participate. So that by November 1st, the day the Stamp Act was set to take effect, boycotts and violent resistance had forced the resignation of stamp officers in every colony except Georgia. And with no officials to distribute stamped paper, the law could not be enforced.
28:26 Lindsay Graham? With the crisis coming to a head, the British Parliament faced a crucial decision. Some members favored repeal of the Stamp Act, but others feared that if they gave in, it would only serve to undermine British authority in America. Lord Grenville went so far as to suggest deploying troops to enforce the tax. With no clear path, in February 1766, Parliament summoned Benjamin Franklin to appear before them as an expert witness to explain the colony's response to the Stamp Act. Now 60 years old, Franklin was the world's most famous American. He was a writer, printer, and inventor, known for his wit and folksy wisdom, and in the mid-1760s, he was living in London as a lobbyist for Pennsylvania.
29:07 Lindsay Graham? But although Franklin opposed the Stamp Act, he still held a deep loyalty to Britain. So standing before Parliament, he patiently answered nearly 200 questions about the Stamp Act protests. When asked if military force could make the colonists comply, he warned the members of Parliament that if troops were sent to America, they will not find a rebellion, they may indeed make one. Franklin's testimony helped convince Parliament to repeal the Stamp Act, and across the Atlantic, the colonies celebrated their victory. Certain that their work was done, the Sons of Liberty disbanded, while the residents of New York erected a new statue of King George III. But despite backing down on the Stamp Act, British officials remained intent on raising
29:49 Lindsay Graham? revenue from the colonies, none more so than the head of the Treasury, Charles Townsend. Townsend had become famous for rhetorical brilliance even while drunk on champagne, and he convinced Parliament to pass the Townsend Acts, placing new taxes on imports on glass, paper, paint, lead, and tea. Townsend emphasized that unlike the Stamp Act, these were indirect taxes to be paid by merchants at American ports. But colonists knew that merchants would inevitably pass the high costs on to consumers, and the news of these Townsend Acts sparked a fresh wave of resistance. Among the protesters were thousands of women, who despite having few legal rights and little political power, now organized under the banner of the Daughters of Liberty.
30:32 Lindsay Graham? They enforced boycotts by refusing to buy British goods, made homespun cloth, and organized public spinning events. A newspaper writer wrote, "I presume there never was a time when or a place where the spinning wheel could more influence the affairs of men than at present." Meanwhile, Samuel Adams once again sought to turn popular anger into political action. In February 1768, he convinced the Massachusetts Assembly to issue a letter to other colonial assemblies urging them to work together to resist the Townsend Acts. But when this same Massachusetts Assembly refused British demands to rescind their letter, the Royal Governor of Massachusetts dissolved it, leaving the colony without an elected legislature.
31:15 Lindsay Graham? Then in June, a riot erupted in Boston when customs officials seized a ship owned by John Hancock, a wealthy merchant and member of the Sons of Liberty. To restore order, one thousand British troops arrived in Boston in October seventeen sixty-eight and placed the city under military occupation. Tensions mounted over the next year and a half as underpaid soldiers competed with residents for civilian jobs and fights broke out in the streets. Reacting to the news from London, Benjamin Franklin warned, "Some indiscretion on the part of Boston's people or of the soldiers may occasion a tumult, and if blood is drawn, there is no foreseeing how far the mischief may spread." Franklin's premonition came to pass on the icy night of March 5th, seventeen seventy,
32:00 Lindsay Graham? when a mob of colonists began taunting a British soldier guarding the Royal Customs House. When more soldiers arrived, the colonists pelted them with snowballs, oyster shells, and stones. In response, the soldiers fired into the melee, killing five Americans. The first to die was a runaway slave of mixed black and native descent named Crispus Addicks, who was at the front of the crowd. In the days and weeks that followed, Samuel Adams labeled the clash "The Boston Massacre" in explosive essays in the Boston Gazette, and he made martyrs of Addicks and the other victims by organizing a public funeral attended by ten thousand people, the largest funeral North America had ever seen. Recognizing that the violence had gotten out of hand,
32:43 Lindsay Graham? Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson jailed the soldiers responsible and sent the rest of the troops away from the city center to a fort in Boston Harbor. With soldiers no longer prowling the streets, tensions began to subside, and soon after, the colonists learned that Parliament had repealed four out of the five duties imposed by the Townshend Acts, leaving only the tax on tea in place. These concessions eased tensions for more than two years, but the fragile calm came to an abrupt end in 1773, when Parliament once again interfered in the tea trade by passing the Tea Act, a sort of government bailout designed to boost sales for the struggling British East India Company. Already, the colonists resented the lingering tax on tea imports, but this new law gave
33:28 Lindsay Graham? the British company a monopoly on the tea trade, and many feared that it would drive American tea merchants out of business. And then, in late November 1773, the first of three ships arrived in Boston Harbor carrying British East India tea. The next day, broadsides appeared throughout town declaring, "That worst of plagues the detestable tea has arrived in the harbor. The hour of destruction or manly opposition to the machinations of tyranny stares you in the face." Residents began holding daily mass meetings to come up with a plan of action. They urged Governor Hutchinson to send the tea back to Britain, but Hutchinson refused. And as the weeks wore on, both sides dug in their heels.
34:09 Lindsay Graham? Customs officials refused to let the ships leave, but the Sons of Liberty refused to let anyone unload the tea. To break the stalemate, the Sons of Liberty took matters into their own hands. On the night of December 16, 1773, 100 men donned Mohawk Indian costumes before setting out for Boston Harbor. In what became known as the Boston Tea Party, they boarded the three ships, hacked open 342 chests of tea, and dumped them overboard. This blatant destruction of private property, worth more than $1.7 million in today's money, marked a major step in the march to outright rebellion. But Boston's defiance would not go unchecked. Instead, the British moved quickly to reassert their authority and crack down on colonial
34:54 Lindsay Graham? resistance.
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35:31 Speaker 04 There are books that change how you see the world, and there are books that change how you see yourself. In a new podcast series, A Great Book with Barack Obama, President Obama sits down with a series of surprising and sharp guests to explore six books that have shaped his life and perspective on the world. From Song of Solomon and The Fire Next Time, to All the Pretty Horses and Gilead, the president is joined by guests like Tom Hanks and Ta-Nehisi Coates to reflect on how these timeless stories shaped his thinking on everything from fatherhood to leadership, and discover together what they tell us about the world we live in and the world we want to create. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes
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36:36 Lindsay Graham? In the spring of 1774, Britain's response to the Boston Tea Party was swift and harsh. In March, Prime Minister Lord Frederick North stood before Parliament and declared Boston "the ringleader of all violence and opposition to the execution of the laws of this country." And to punish Massachusetts and set an example for the other colonies, Parliament passed a series of laws known as the coercive acts. First, Parliament closed Boston's port until the town paid for the tea they destroyed. And by preventing ships from going in and out, the law threatened to paralyze the local economy. Another measure permitted the British Army to quarter soldiers in private homes. And in a major affront to Massachusetts' proud history of local governance, Parliament revoked the colony's charter
37:21 Lindsay Graham? and banned most public meetings. To enforce these new laws, King George III appointed General Thomas Gage, the commander of the British Army in America, as royal governor of Massachusetts, and made him responsible for appointing all judges, magistrates, and sheriffs. Gage was on leave in London when the news broke of the Boston Tea Party. And meeting with the king, he advised him that Americans "will be lions whilst we are lambs, but if we take the resolute part, they will undoubtedly prove very meek." King George was persuaded that a little show of force would go a long way in bringing the colonies to heel, so he sent Gage back to Boston with four fresh regiments of soldiers. But this new strategy quickly backfired.
38:03 Lindsay Graham? While the coercive acts were designed to isolate Massachusetts and intimidate the other colonies into submission, instead, they brought the colonies closer together. And the attack on Massachusetts was seen as an attack on all, and across America the measures were denounced under a new name: the Intolerable Acts. A group of Maryland landowners spoke for many when they declared that Boston was suffering in the common cause of America. Support poured in from other colonies. The Virginia Colonial Assembly declared a day of fasting and prayer in solidarity. Many communities sent food and supplies to Boston, where the closure of the port raised the specter of widespread hunger. Meanwhile, colonists in Massachusetts refused to accept Gage's authority as their new governor.
38:48 Lindsay Graham? In the summer of 1774, mobs forced the resignations of crown-appointed officials and descended on courthouses to prevent judges and lawyers from holding court, effectively shutting down the legal system. And even though Gage had dissolved the Massachusetts Assembly, its members reconvened anyway, forming a shadow government in defiance of British authority. Meanwhile, all across Massachusetts, men began forming militias and stockpiling weapons and ammunition. This growing crisis underscored the need for a united front, so in September 1774, leaders from every colony but Georgia gathered in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. Patrick Henry described the new spirit of unity taking hold, declaring, "The distinctions
39:31 Lindsay Graham? between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American." And after seven weeks, this Continental Congress issued a formal declaration affirming that the colonists were entitled to the same rights as English citizens, and that Parliament had no authority to pass laws governing the colonies. But despite their objection to British overreach, there were no calls for independence. George Washington summarized the prevailing opinion when he declared that "independence" was not desired by any thinking man in all North America. Instead, the Continental Congress appealed directly to King George, asking him to have the intolerable acts repealed.
40:12 Lindsay Graham? But as far as the king was concerned, the Continental Congress was an illegal body that deserved no response. He told the Prime Minister, "The New England governments are in a state of rebellion. Blows must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or independent." But at the same time that the Continental Congress issued their appeal to the king, they also pursued more concrete action, adopting a plan to disrupt British trade. In the 1770s, American markets were the fastest-growing and most valuable of all of Britain's trading partners. The delegates hoped that if they boycotted British goods, the economic pressure would persuade Parliament to back down. So on October 20th, the Continental Congress introduced a sweeping boycott of British
40:55 Lindsay Graham? trade, known as the Continental Association, and throughout the colonies, local committees were tasked with enforcing strict compliance. Imagine it's March 1775 in Wilmington, North Carolina. You're lingering over breakfast with your family when you hear a knock on the front door. You plant a kiss on your daughter's head as you walk through the entrance, wondering who could be calling at this hour. As you open the door, you're startled by the sight of two dozen men standing in your front yard. Yes, can I help you? At the front of the crowd stands a middle-aged man wearing a powdered wig. He examines you closely, his brow furrowed with suspicion. Hello, sir. My name is Mr.
41:37 Lindsay Graham? Archibald McLean, Chairman of the Wilmington Committee of Safety and Inspection. Could you please confirm that you are head of the household for this address? I am, but why do you ask? One of your neighbors intercepted the I'm sorry, I don't understand. One of my neighbors opened my mail? Yes, a letter expressing concern about the boycott on British goods. Well, so what if I did? It is concerning. What business of that is yours? We have a duty to ensure the entire community is aligned against Parliament. Do you wish to recant your statement and issue an apology? An apology? To whom? That was a private letter. Sir, failure to comply will lead to your total isolation from the community. Your neighbors will be forbidden from speaking with you, even in church. Is that what you want for your business, for your family?
42:22 Lindsay Graham? You glance at the crowd of men filling your yard, anxiety tightening within you. Deep down, you don't see how your community could so openly defy British authority, but you also don't want to be publicly shamed. Well, yes, then. I recant my statement. I spoke out of turn. It was a mistake. We will require a signature. One of the other men hands McLean a piece of paper. He holds it up for you to see. By signing this document, you pledge your full, informed support for the Continental Association. Well, allow me to retrieve my pen and ink pot.
42:56 Lindsay Graham? You take the document from him and rush to your study, past the bewildered stares of your wife and children. You have no wish to incur the scrutiny of your neighbors, but privately, you're stunned by the forceful methods of people who claim to be protesting tyranny.
43:13 Lindsay Graham? By 1775, local committees maintained strict adherence to the boycott on British goods by spying on their neighbors, forcing them to sign loyalty oaths, and publishing the names of violators in newspapers. The threat of being stigmatized and shunned was a powerful weapon of enforcement, with one Pennsylvania writer saying that being declared a public enemy was "more dreadful to a free man than the gallows, the rake, or the stake." And through these boycotts, the colonists had hoped to pressure Parliament to hear their demands. But British officials refused to make concessions. Instead, each new report of colonial defiance stiffened their resolve to crush the resistance with decisive action. And in the spring of 1775,
43:55 Lindsay Graham? the Prime Minister ordered General Gage to arrest two of Boston's most prominent radicals, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, both of whom were in hiding in the small town of Lexington, Massachusetts. Afterwards, Gage planned to lead a raid on a colonial arsenal in the larger town of Concord. But before Gage could act, colonial spies got word of his plan. As British troops mobilized on the night of April 18th, Boston rebels Paul Revere and Samuel Dawes set out to warn the countryside, taking separate routes in case either was captured. During his 10-mile ride to Lexington, Revere spread the alarm to local militias declaring, "The regulars are coming out." And just after midnight, both riders reached Adams and Hancock, who nearly escaped capture
44:40 Lindsay Graham? in Lexington. Later that night, Revere was seized by a British patrol, but a young doctor he'd met along the road managed to carry the warning on to Concord. So that when dawn broke on April 19th, 1775, 700 British troops marched on Lexington, where they found 70 colonial militiamen waiting for them on the Village Green. A shot rang out, sparking a brief but deadly skirmish that left eight colonists dead and nine wounded. Next, the British marched six miles west to Concord, where they were met by a rapidly growing force of militiamen at the town's North Bridge. Roughly 400 of these militiamen forced the British regulars to retreat under heavy fire. And as the British marched back to Boston, militias lined the road to continue firing on them.
45:25 Lindsay Graham? The colonists had won, and the events of the day would forever be remembered as the first shots of the Revolutionary War. In the aftermath of Lexington and Concord, thousands of colonists prepared to take up arms against Britain in defense of their rights. In New York, rebels paraded through the streets and raided the city arsenal. In Charleston, authorities began to fortify the harbor against a possible British siege. In Virginia, legislative leaders donned homespun garments with the words "Liberty or Death" embroidered on their coats, in honor of Patrick Henry's powerful call to arms, "Give me liberty or give me death." And across the colonies, men of all ages enlisted in militias. One 16-year-old volunteer recalled, "The whole country became electrified, and almost
46:10 Lindsay Graham? everyone, young and old, were formed into companies." But most colonists were not yet fighting for independence. Instead, they steel themselves for battle to defend their rights and freedoms as subjects of the British Empire. So even as they hurled down the path of rebellion, few could imagine the long, bloody war to independence that lay ahead.
46:31 Lindsay Graham? From Audible Originals, this is episode one of our six-part series on the American Revolution for American History Tellers. In the next episode, after the bloody Battle of Bunker Hill, newly appointed Commander in Chief George Washington struggles to transform a patchwork of amateur militias into a unified army. The Second Continental Congress gathers in Philadelphia, and patriots and loyalists debate whether to take the unprecedented step of declaring independence from Great Britain.
47:01 Lindsay Graham? American History Tellers is only possible because of listeners like you, so thank you. And don't miss an episode. Be sure to follow American History Tellers on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. And to find out more about me, including my other podcasts, my live show, the history tours I'm arranging, and all sorts of other things, go to historyishuman.com. That's historyishuman.com.
47:37 Lindsay Graham? American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsay Graham for Airship. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton, edited by Dorian Marina. Senior producers are Alida Rosansky and Andy Herman, managing producer Desi Blalock, audio editing by Mohamed Shazi, music by Thrum, sound design by Molly Bog, executive producer for Audible, Jenny Lauer Beckman, head of creative development at Audible, Kate Navy, head of Audible Originals North America, Marshall Louis, chief content officer, Rachel Giansa. Copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC. Sound recording copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC.
48:36 Lindsay Graham? By 1779, Benedict Arnold had sacrificed more for the revolution than almost any other man in America. One of George Washington's most effective commanders, he had nearly lost a leg in the Second Battle of Saratoga. But in return, Arnold believed he had been humiliated by Congress and cheated of his glory by lesser men. So he decided to make them pay. Hi, I'm Lindsay Graham, the host of the podcast American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in US history: presidential lies, environmental disasters, corporate fraud. In our latest series, Benedict Arnold turns his back on his comrades in the Continental Army and secretly defects to the British. With the help of his wife, he plots to hand over the most important colonial fortress to the enemy and doom
49:21 Lindsay Graham? the revolution he once served. Follow American Scandal wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of American Scandal early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
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