Liberty! Episode 1: "The Reluctant Revolutionaries" 1763-1774
Summary
TLDRThe video script for 'Liberty' explores the American Revolution's roots, from the initial bonds with Britain to the growing desire for independence. It details the colonists' transformation from subjects to citizens, the challenges they faced, including the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party, and the ideological battle for freedom. The series highlights key figures like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, illustrating the struggle between loyalty to Britain and the fight for self-governance, culminating in the revolutionary idea of ordinary people governing themselves.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The script discusses the American Revolution, focusing on the shift from British subjects to independent citizens and the creation of a new system of government.
- 🤝 It highlights the support of organizations like Foothill Capital Corporation and Norwest for the 'Liberty' series, emphasizing the value of education and community.
- 👥 The series covers the transformation of America's founding fathers, who were initially wealthy patricians and not inclined towards revolution, yet ended up leading the uprising.
- 🗣️ The script underscores the importance of power dynamics, with the American colonies initially revering the British monarchy and later opposing parliamentary taxes and duties.
- 📜 The introduction of the Stamp Act is depicted as a pivotal moment that sparked widespread outrage and resistance among the colonists, leading to the formation of boycotts and protests.
- 🌐 The boycott of British goods is presented as a significant strategy used by the colonies to exert economic pressure on Britain, demonstrating their determination to fight for self-governance.
- 👮♂️ The use of British troops in Boston and the subsequent Boston Massacre are portrayed as key events that further fueled the desire for independence among the colonists.
- 📧 Benjamin Franklin's role is highlighted, showing his transition from a lover of British culture to a key figure in the push for American independence, including his involvement in the publication of Thomas Hutchinson's letters.
- 🍵 The Boston Tea Party is described as a symbolic act of defiance that resonated widely and further damaged relations between the colonies and Britain.
- ⚔️ The script suggests that the conflict escalated to a point where military force and political maneuvering became the primary means of resolving disputes between Britain and the colonies.
- 📚 The series 'Liberty' and its companion book are offered as resources for those interested in a deeper understanding of the American Revolution, including a soundtrack featuring notable artists.
Q & A
What is the significance of the Stamp Act in the context of the American Revolution?
-The Stamp Act was significant because it was the first direct tax imposed by the British Parliament on the American colonies, which sparked outrage and protests among the colonists, marking a key event leading to the American Revolution.
How did Benjamin Rush's experience in England influence his perspective on the American Revolution?
-Benjamin Rush, a future signer of the Declaration of Independence, felt a sense of awe when he sat on the throne of King George III. This experience highlighted the vast difference between the power of the monarchy and the aspirations of the American colonists, reinforcing his commitment to the cause of independence.
What was the role of the East India Company in the events leading to the American Revolution?
-The East India Company had a surplus of tea, and the British Parliament decided to sell it to the American colonies at a low price with a nominal tax. This move was intended to be a way of taxing the colonies that they would welcome, but it instead led to the Boston Tea Party, a key event in the lead-up to the American Revolution.
Why did the British government send troops to Boston in 1770?
-The British government sent troops to Boston to quell the rioters and arrest the ringleaders of the protests against British policies. They believed that firm measures were needed to restore order and control in the colony.
What was the Boston Massacre, and how did it impact the American Revolution?
-The Boston Massacre was an incident on March 5, 1770, where British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists, killing five. It was portrayed by the colonists as an unprovoked attack on innocent civilians and became a rallying point for opposition to British rule, further fueling the movement for independence.
What was the purpose of the boycott of British goods by the American colonies?
-The purpose of the boycott was to hit England where it hurt economically, by refusing to purchase British goods. This was a form of economic protest aimed at pressuring the British government to reconsider its policies towards the colonies.
How did the publication of Thomas Hutchinson's letters impact the situation in Massachusetts?
-The publication of Thomas Hutchinson's letters, which were leaked by Benjamin Franklin, caused a sensation and led to widespread anger in Massachusetts. The letters were seen as evidence of Hutchinson's betrayal of the colonies' interests to the British government, leading to demands for his removal as governor.
What was the British government's response to the Boston Tea Party?
-The British government responded to the Boston Tea Party with punitive measures, passing a series of laws known as the Coercive Acts, which included closing the port of Boston and putting Massachusetts under military rule.
What was the role of the Declaratory Act in the escalation of tensions between Britain and the American colonies?
-The Declaratory Act asserted the absolute right of the British Parliament to make laws for the American colonies in all cases whatsoever, which was seen by the colonists as a direct challenge to their rights and autonomy, further escalating tensions.
How did Benjamin Franklin's experiences in England shape his views on the British government and the American Revolution?
-Benjamin Franklin's experiences in England, including his interactions with the British government and his observations of social inequalities, led to a growing disillusionment with British rule. His initial affection for England soured into a deep resentment, making him a key figure in advocating for American independence.
Outlines
🎵 Financing the American Revolution 🎵
This paragraph introduces the series 'Liberty' on KCET, highlighting its sponsors, including Foothill Capital Corporation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. It sets the stage for the American Revolution, emphasizing the emotional ties between England and her colonies, and the looming conflict over taxation and self-governance. The segment also introduces the concept of power and its central role in the series, illustrating the transformation of American subjects into citizens of a new nation with a novel system of government.
🌟 Colonial Aspirations and the British Empire 🌟
The second paragraph delves into the life of American colonists in the 1760s, who considered themselves part of the British Empire and admired British culture. It discusses the impact of the British victory over France and the subsequent opportunities for colonial expansion. The paragraph also introduces key figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, who, despite their ambitions and contributions, felt the sting of British aristocratic disdain due to their colonial origins.
👑 The Struggle for Recognition and the Stamp Act 👑
This segment focuses on the British government's decision to impose the Stamp Act on the colonies, marking the first direct tax levied by the British Parliament on the American colonists. The act sparks outrage among the colonial elite, who view it as an affront to their rights and status as British subjects. The paragraph details the strong reactions to the Stamp Act, including the resistance led by figures like George Washington and the broader implications for colonial self-governance.
📜 The Stamp Act Crisis and Colonial Unity 📜
The fourth paragraph narrates the escalating tensions due to the Stamp Act, leading to widespread protests and acts of defiance across the colonies. It describes the formation of popular committees that take justice into their own hands and the colonial leaders' efforts to organize a boycott of British goods. The paragraph underscores the significance of unity among the colonies in opposing the tax and the growing sentiment of independence.
🛳️ The Repeal of the Stamp Act and Aftermath 🛳️
This section discusses the repeal of the Stamp Act by the British Parliament, following intense colonial opposition and lobbying efforts by Benjamin Franklin. It highlights the relief felt in the colonies and the continued British assertion of their right to legislate for the colonies through the Declaratory Act. The paragraph also touches on the ongoing immigration to America and the growing sense of British identity among the colonists.
🏛️ The Colonial Boycott and the Shift in Power 🏛️
The sixth paragraph details the economic impact of the colonial boycott on British merchants and manufacturers, leading to significant distress in England. It describes the political and social changes in the colonies, with common people becoming increasingly involved in the protest movement, challenging the traditional hierarchy and power structures. The paragraph also reflects on the British government's perception of the colonies and the growing divide between the 'mother country' and her American children.
🗳️ The Boston Massacre and the Radicalization of the Colonies 🗳️
This segment recounts the Boston Massacre, a pivotal event in which British soldiers fired upon a crowd, killing five people. It discusses the radicalization of the colonies following the incident, the spread of anti-British sentiment, and the increasing involvement of common people in the political struggle for liberty. The paragraph also highlights the role of Samuel Adams and the establishment of unofficial courts by popular committees.
📜 The Hutchinson Letters and the Escalation of Conflict 📜
The eighth paragraph reveals the impact of the Hutchinson Letters, which were leaked by Benjamin Franklin to the Boston radicals. It describes the letters' content, which suggested that the British government should reign in the colonies, and the subsequent backlash against Thomas Hutchinson. The paragraph details the growing rift between England and the colonies and the efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the escalating conflict.
☕️ The Boston Tea Party and the British Response ☕️
This segment tells the story of the Boston Tea Party, an act of protest against British taxation and the East India Company's tea monopoly. It describes the defiance of the colonists, who dressed as Mohawk Indians and dumped tea into the harbor, and the British government's reaction, which included closing the port of Boston and imposing military rule. The paragraph also focuses on the personal implications for Benjamin Franklin, who was blamed for the unrest and faced prosecution.
🚢 The Road to Revolution and the Closing of Boston Harbor 🚢
The tenth paragraph discusses the British government's decision to close the port of Boston and impose martial law, escalating the conflict with the American colonies. It highlights the emotional response of the colonists, who saw this as a realization of their worst fears regarding British tyranny. The paragraph also touches on the personal reflections of Benjamin Franklin and his growing disillusionment with England, as well as the broader implications for the colonies' struggle for independence.
🇺🇲 The Colonies Unite for Independence 🇺🇲
The final paragraph sets the stage for the American Revolution, with the colonies uniting in the face of British oppression. It emphasizes the ideological battle for freedom and equality, and the colonies' resolve to stand not just for their own liberty but as a beacon for the world. The segment also mentions the availability of the 'Liberty' series and its companion book, as well as the soundtrack featuring renowned artists.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡American Revolution
💡Taxation without representation
💡Boston Tea Party
💡Stamp Act
💡Benjamin Franklin
💡Thomas Hutchinson
💡Boycott
💡Parliament
💡Liberty
💡Gesture politics
💡Non-importation agreement
Highlights
The series 'Liberty: The American Revolution' explores the transformative period when Americans transitioned from subjects of a king to citizens of a separate nation.
The narrative covers 25 years of history, focusing on key themes like taxes, freedom of speech, and the power of government over people's lives.
Benjamin Rush's awe at sitting on the throne of King George III highlights the colonial reverence for the British monarchy before the revolution.
Colonists considered themselves fortunate to be part of the British Empire, valuing its culture, civilization, and military protection.
The Stamp Act of 1765 imposed taxes directly by the British Parliament, sparking outrage and leading to widespread colonial protests.
George Washington and other colonial leaders saw the Stamp Act as a direct attack on their rights and an assertion of British control without representation.
The repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 was a significant victory for the colonists, reaffirming their loyalty to the British crown.
The introduction of new taxes on manufactured goods in 1767 reignited colonial resistance and boycotts of British products.
Benjamin Franklin's efforts to mediate and prevent escalation are highlighted by his poem urging moderation and respect for the 'old mother' England.
The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was a pivotal act of defiance against British taxation, leading to severe punitive measures from the British government.
The arrival of British troops in Boston in 1768 and the subsequent Boston Massacre in 1770 galvanized colonial opposition and unity.
Franklin's discovery and release of Governor Hutchinson's letters in 1772 shifted blame for colonial unrest onto local officials, not just British policies.
Franklin's fall from favor in England and his growing revolutionary sentiments marked a significant turning point in his political stance.
The closing of Boston Harbor and the imposition of military rule in Massachusetts in 1774 were direct responses to the Boston Tea Party, escalating tensions.
The series underscores the paradox of the American Revolution: colonial leaders initially sought to preserve their rights as Englishmen but ultimately created a new, independent nation based on revolutionary ideals.
Transcripts
[Music]
liberty on kcet is made possible by our
members
and the following foothill capital
corporation
one of america's leading asset-based
lenders providing financing to companies
across the united states and canada
foothill capital corporation
a nor west company
[Music]
the democracy project
coming up on liberty the taxes and
duties imposed on us by parliament
must be instantly opposed england stirs
emotion in her colonies
i do not however want to drive them to
despair
only to submission and america stirs up
boston harbor
our cause is righteous but i see our
generation
and perhaps our whole land drowned in
blood
liberty the american revolution is
brought to you by nor west
banking mortgage and consumer finance we
care about our communities and the value
of education
and are proud to support this series nor
west
to the nth degree major funding is also
provided by the national endowment for
the humanities
expanding america's understanding of who
we were who we are
and who we will be the arthur vining
davis foundations
the eberly foundation the corporation
for public broadcasting
and by annual financial support from
viewers like you
[Music]
hello i'm forrest sawyer welcome to our
series
liberty we live in a time of fast
breaking news
which seems very far from the 18th
century world
the subject of this series yet if you
pick up a newspaper on any given day
you'll see items very familiar to the
people who launched this country
issues like taxes freedom of speech and
the big theme that runs through this
entire series
power the power that government has over
our lives
this series covers a span of 25
extraordinary years
a period when americans transform
themselves from subjects of a king
to citizens of a separate nation and on
the way
they devised a totally new system of
government
nothing's more surprising than the
beginnings of the conflict the founding
fathers
like george washington were wealthy
patricians
the last thing they wanted was a
revolution yet the rich
and powerful came to lead this uprising
one which would ultimately turn their
privileged society
upside down as in all history at the
time
nobody knew where they were going and
they certainly didn't know how
everything would turn out
but without intending it they came up
with the most revolutionary idea of the
modern world
the idea that without kings and noblemen
ordinary people could govern themselves
[Music]
[Applause]
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[Applause]
in the 1760s a young american doctor
benjamin rush is touring england he is a
future signer of the declaration of
independence
but on this sunny october day as he has
led into the throne room of king george
iii his king the independence of america
could not be further from his mind
i gaze for some time at the throne with
emotions that i cannot describe
i ask my guide if it is common for
strangers to sit on it
he tells me no but upon my importuning
him a good deal
i convince him to allow me the liberty
accordingly i advance towards the throne
i sit down on it
i am seized with a kind of awe
i feel as if as if i'm on top of a
mountain
[Music]
all men's passions all men's hopes
aspire to nothing higher
than this throne
benjamin rush indeed all american
colonists
consider themselves blessed to be part
of the largest most powerful empire in
the world
the colonists revere their king and
admire everything
english wealthy virginia planters send
their children
to england to be educated new yorkers
read british books and british
newspapers
in boston they drink their tea from
wedgewood cups imported
from england
britain has just defeated its
traditional enemy france
in a conflict that has spanned the globe
[Music]
in north america the french have been
driven from canada
and much of the west
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the colonists see this as a victory for
their way of life
with british culture civilization and
the protection of british military
might the colonial provinces of america
look to a rosy future
the future would bring freedom it would
bring prosperity
because it would be british the
tyrannical french and spanish had been
removed from the continent
uh how surprising this is to us
we don't think of this as the great
division uh their view of the future
uh seems naive uh
so different than what we knew their
future would have been
which tells us something what came was
not expected
and it was it wasn't certainly not
desired they were british
they wanted to be british they were
proud of being british
that they would 13 years later be
declaring their independence
is enormously paradoxical uh
it did not have to be it should not have
been
from their perspective that it happened
is a great mystery that needs to be
[Music]
explained
[Music]
so
[Music]
in the 1760s the 13 american colonies
are an outpost of the british empire
most of north america is a wilderness
inhabited by
indian tribes
a few dirt paths link the colonies
it takes two weeks to get a letter from
boston to new york
and most colonists have never traveled
more than 30 miles from the place where
they were born
you wouldn't recognize america
geographically or politically
it was a society strung out along the
atlantic seaboard
it was a totally rural society there
were only a handful of cities with as
many as 10
000 people in them new york being one
boston
philadelphia and charleston
now with the end of the long war vast
new tracts of land
opened for exploitation the american
colonies have more than ever
become the land of opportunity
no one sees this better than the future
founding fathers
they all have great ambitions
george washington at 31 has recently
married martha custis
an extremely wealthy widow with a large
tobacco plantation
and a seat in the virginia legislature
washington is determined to become the
richest and most influential man
in virginia
john adams of massachusetts the second
president of the future united states
is a struggling country lawyer
i want to do something that will
surprise the world
something grand wild to cut a flash
to strike amazement to catch the
attention of everyone
will it be some quick action or a slow
silent imperceptible move
shall i creep or shall i fly
the most famous american in the world is
benjamin franklin
he too has big plans he is trying to
convince the british government to
establish a colony in the newly
conquered territories to the west
he will be the principal landowner
franklin offers a member of the cabinet
a piece of the action an application is
about to be made for a grant of land in
the territory on the ohio river
this land will soon be settled by large
numbers of people from the neighboring
provinces
one share will get you 40 000 acres
and costs next to nothing shall i put
your name down
franklin has made a fortune in the
printing business and has now gone on to
the gentlemanly pursuits of science and
politics
at 57 he has outgrown the provincialism
of the colonies
and has moved to the center of the
empire london
england i was traveling in a country
town last sunday
and thought back to new england where a
man might be thrown in jail
for singing while walking down the
street on the sabbath
here i can go to an opera or play on
sunday
and it's not only singing but fiddling
and dancing
i look around for god's judgments but i
see no signs of them
the markets are filled with plenty the
cattle fat and strong
the fences and houses all in good repair
i am beginning to suspect that the deity
is not nearly as angry
at the offense of breaking the sabbath
as your average
new england magistrate
franklin is pennsylvania's unofficial
ambassador to england
he is looking for some high office in
the british government
he had numerous friends uh
in england in the intellectual world his
problem of course was
uh that he was outside uh
the the inner circle uh
of power within the country he didn't um
mix on social terms uh with the people
who exercised real power
in great britain real power is solidly
in the hands of the aristocracy
men who owe their position not to merit
an ability
but to family their lineage
franklin comes from very humble birth
the tenth son
of a candle maker he may have discovered
the cause of lightning
he may be the darling of the
enlightenment but to the nobility
he is and always will remain a commoner
he's an almanac maker a chimney doctor
a printer's devil an atheist
and the father of several monsters
like franklin all the future founding
fathers are seen as
insignificant provincials the george
washingtons and john hancocks
may be the most powerful men in the
colonies they may run their huge estates
and their colonial governments
but they are painfully aware that they
are looked down upon by the ruling
gentry
of england they try to compensate for
their uncertainty
they try to affect a certain refinement
they are very attentive
to form in fashion but they never get it
quite right
and when the english gentry come they
they make remarks about
well they have fine carriages but they
don't have matched horses
and then when they have matched horses
they don't have the right salary there's
always another level
they're never getting it quite right
these virginians
to charles lawrence london august 10th
1764. sir
you will send me the following item and
charger to my account
one livery suit of worsted shag of the
enclosed color
and lined with red wool make the coat
with plain white buttons and a collar of
red shag with a narrow lace around it
i must note that in prior shipments
instead of sending me goods which are
fashionable
you have often sent articles that could
only have been worn by
our forefathers in days of yore and for
these goods that you palm off on us
your prices are exorbitantly high it
will be impossible to continue to do
business with you unless there is some
alteration for the better
george washington
they know that by the standard of
england
by the measure of england they are not
respected
they are not looked upon this great men
they are not looked upon this grand days
they are at best men of commercial
wealth
and yet they have this pretension
themselves within their society
of their own self-importance
and this makes them uncomfortable when
they confront england
a sense of inferiority extends to all
aspects of colonial life
american artists feel they must go to
london to learn from the masters
they still try to copy the haughty pose
of a gainsborough portrait
but these americans will never be part
of the aristocratic world they aspire to
they will create a new world and sooner
than anyone back then
would ever have predicted
london spring of 1765
a debate in parliament over what seems
to be a very small shift in colonial
policy
running the overseas provinces has
become extremely expensive
parliament announces that for the first
time the americans will pay a small tax
not to their local legislatures but
directly
to england i think that's the first
thing that one has to
say looking back on it seeing now as we
must do
that this was the opening of something
which was going to be
very big and very important is that
nobody
realized that at the time the british
government had
a variety of bits of legislation in hand
dealing with a variety of problems as
governments do
this was one of them a moderately
prominent piece of legislative program
of 1765
uh tidying up various details of the
administration of colonies
but it wasn't really a country of vast
interest it was rather technical it was
extremely remote
she would stop the average man in the
street and said what do you think about
the stamp act my man
uh he would have said what
it is called the stamp act because taxed
items will have to carry a stamp
paid for by the user test
pressings are made and the new tax is
set to go into effect in the fall
it takes six weeks by sailing ship for
news of the tax to cross the ocean
[Music]
when it arrives the news creates a
firestorm
up and down the continent for the
colonial elite
the men who run the local legislatures
the stamp act
is an outrage it seems to confirm their
worst suspicions
that they are not respected in england
not worth even being consulted about
this change in policy
george washington is a delegate sitting
in the virginia legislature
the stamp act imposed on the colonies by
the parliament of great britain
is an ill-judged measure parliament has
no right to put its hands into
our pockets without our consent
[Music]
even royal appointees like the highly
regarded thomas hutchinson
chief justice of massachusetts are upset
you must not deprive the colonies of
their right to make laws for themselves
parliament should only make laws
necessary for the empire
as a whole the larger meaning of their
life was wrapped up in being
being britain's they were proud not to
be dutch
not to be french not to be spanish
colonists but to be
british columnists and to have for 150
years
tax themselves govern themselves
behave just like independent englishmen
did
although they were living in america now
suddenly the stamp act
implied that they were going to be
governed taxed by a parliament
a long way away in which they had no
representatives
now the only people who were taxed
without their consent in britain
were servants people who didn't have any
property
women children and so
the stamp act seemed to americans to
reduce americans to the same status as
servants and women and all those
dependent people
who were civilly emasculated
that is they they they didn't have any
public
public role in their own governance
george washington and other colonial
leaders clearly see what will become of
them unless they take action
a line should be drawn between great
britain and the colonies
clearly establishing our rights
we must either assert our rights or
submit
and become tame and abject slaves like
the negros over whom we
rule with such arbitrary sway
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
this tax is going to touch everyone it's
probably one of the dumbest political
acts
in the history of government they tax
dice and cards so the rowdiest group of
people there are in the world sailors in
port with nothing to do
are going to be angry they tax legal
documents which means that lawyers
the most articulate and argumentative
people in america
are up in arms also if the staff man
tells you to kiss his ass
shall he get away with it and live don't
let your courage cool
or a few bullies scare you we've nothing
to fear but
slavery love your liberty
and fight for it like men who know its
value
once lost it will never
never be regained
the question in any case was never the
immediate
amount of taxation that the british were
asking of the colonists
the question was whether the british had
the right to do it at all
we are talking about people with
enormous sensitivity to the dangers of
power
if you conceded the right to parliament
to tax
and if there was no check on it no limit
it could go on
indefinitely you could be bled white the
power to tax was the power to destroy
the colonial legislators send official
petitions to the british parliament
petitions that are completely ignored
the colonists had been saved from the
specter of
french and indians and there certainly
were a lot of people in britain who
thought that they should be properly
grateful
all this effort that had been expended
on their behalf mostly at the expense of
the british taxpayer
and that it wasn't unreasonable that
they should pay a modest share
greatly less than 100 percent uh of the
cost
of imperial defense in the future
great britain protects america
america is bound to yield obedience
if not tell me when were the americans
emancipated
the stamp act was a bad idea but what
could you do
that was the problem massachusetts came
up with the answer and it was a very
good answer a very simple answer
august 14 an effigy of the stamp man
appears hanging from what became liberty
tree
mobs collected they bring coercion on
him
in short they forced the stamp man
andrew oliver to resign
now if you got one man to resign
if the stampec stamps were not going to
be distributed
well the act couldn't be put into effect
the popular fury spreads
thomas hutchinson chief justice of
massachusetts
is a passionate believer in law and
order
privately he is against the stamp tax
publicly
he makes it clear that he intends to
enforce it
on august 26 1765
a mob assembles outside his house one of
the most elegant in boston hutchinson
and his family
have just finished high tea
hutchinson escapes with his life and
little else
hutchinson thought the stamp act was a
very bad policy
but it wouldn't have crossed his mind
that you therefore would resist it
that you'd resist it with violence it
was unthinkable
everyone will suffer if the peace and
order in the community are destroyed
i hope everyone will see how easily the
people may be
duped inflamed and carried away with
madness
the intimidation of royal officials
spreads to other colonies
would-be stamp distributors are attacked
stamp paper is seized when it arrives
from england
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
colonial leaders propose a joint boycott
of british goods
a philadelphia lawyer john dickinson
supports this idea the taxes and duties
imposed on us by parliament must be
instantly opposed
the only effective opposition is through
the concerted efforts of
all the provinces by uniting we stand
by dividing we form
in far away london benjamin franklin is
surprised by the fervor of colonial
reaction to the tax
moreover the crisis is interfering with
important business he has before the
government
he lobbies for the repeal of the stamp
act
he distributes this cartoon warning the
british that without america their
magnificent empire will be a dismembered
body
one without arms and legs
franklin testifies before a
parliamentary committee
he reminds them that the colonies are
england's biggest market
they asked me about the attitude of
americans toward great britain before
the tax
we had only affection for great britain
its customs and manners
we had a great fondness for english
fashions
which greatly benefited your industry
they then asked me what is the attitude
now
it is very much altered our buying your
manufactured goods depends very much on
our affection for you
pride will induce americans like me to
wear our old clothes
and when we buy new clothes they will be
made
by us franklin has powerful allies in
parliament
among them edmund burke what are we
doing with our constant insisting on
taxing the americans
we're not getting any revenue from them
instead we're pushing them to disorder
and disobedience
you can wait up to your eyes in blood
and you'll be back where you started
with no revenue we make money from trade
not taxes that the americans tax
themselves
the pressure brings results in february
1766
parliament repeals the stamp tax
throughout the 13 colonies there is a
sigh of relief
[Music]
americans look around the world and
think how lucky they are to be
the subjects of king george iii
[Music]
in a time when the french king regards
himself as the direct representative of
god on earth
when the spanish king contacts his
subjects without limit
and catherine the great of russia deals
with political opponents by cutting off
their heads and displaying them at the
end of a stake
the british king stands alone
the pride the glory of britain
the direct end of its constitution is
political liberty
all through the 1760s a steady stream of
immigrants will arrive in the new world
in search of their fortunes
one such visitor is the son of an
english sheep farmer
nicholas cresswell he keeps a detailed
diary recording his impressions of his
travels
americans in general are good-natured
and agreeable but confoundedly lazy
although they come from different
countries it is remarkable
they speak english better than the
english do except of course for the new
englanders who have sort of
whining cadence that i find hard to
describe
they're tall and graceful particularly
the women
who are remarkably well shaped
but they all have very bad teeth decayed
by the time they're 25
it is perhaps the hot bread they bake at
every meal
the growth in population of this country
is amazing with the emigration from
europe
they are said to double their numbers
every 16 years
anyone with the least spark of industry
can support a family
no one fears poverty here
[Music]
the american colonies with their vast
tracts of land
are extremely valuable to england
their forests supply the tall straight
pine trees that become the masts for
britain's sailing ships
the farms and plantations export food
and tobacco to
england americans import virtually all
finished goods
from england it is an arrangement that
benefits everyone
but there are those in the mother
country who fear that this relationship
will not last there was often a notion
that the colonies had come of age
and if they were let out from the
restraining hand of england
would produce a rival to england instead
of a dutiful
child americans were referred to as
ungrateful children
what you really see is people on one
side who believe that their potential
was being squashed and people on another
side who were a little wary about this
creation that had gotten out of hand
this monster that had gotten out of hand
and
it is not unlike what happens when your
16 year old storms out of the house
over some restraint or restriction or
regulation that they believe
is no longer appropriate for their age
[Music]
the protests over the stamp act ended in
victory for the colonists
many members of parliament feel that
this is a dangerous precedent
one that will encourage further
disobedience
these presumptuous colonials will have
to be brought under control
[Music]
on the same day that the stamp act was
repealed they had passed a new piece of
legislation
the declaratory act asserting the
absolute right of the british parliament
to make laws for the american colonies
in all cases whatsoever
[Music]
a year later parliament puts teeth in
the act
with a new set of taxes on the colonies
this time
in the form of stiff duties on
manufactured goods from england
everything from paint to window panes
to tea benjamin franklin fears there is
going to be another firestorm of
colonial protest
and sends this poem to american
newspapers urging
moderation we have an old mother who
peevish is grown
she snubs us like children that scarce
walk alone
she forgets that we're grown with sense
of our own
if we don't obey orders whatever the
case she frowns and she chides and loses
all patience
and sometimes she hits us a slap in the
face her orders are so we often suspect
that age has impaired her of sound
intellect but still an
old mother should have due respect
the idea that a body of men in england
who know nothing about the colonies who
see nothing of the misery that their
taxes will inflict upon us
have given themselves the right to
command our lives and our property at
all times
and in all cases whatsoever
this is the logic of robbers and highway
men
the declaratory act strikes terror in
their hearts
earlier in the century an almost
identical act had been used to subjugate
ireland
the colonists will have to take action
[Music]
they know they have the power to hit
england where it hurts
they will boycott british goods
for the american colonies which
manufacture almost nothing
which must import even finished cloth
from england
this will mean real hardship
people will have to be convinced not to
buy british goods
merchants not to import british goods
spontaneous protests will have to be
organized
into a political movement
george washington block english goods
starve their trade in manufacturing yes
the more i think about this plan the
more ardently i wish its success
gentlemen in their several counties
should explain matters to the people
and urge them to adhere to the
non-importation agreement
for the boycott to be effective the
entire population will have to be
mobilized
but up to now the leaders have not
involved the common people in the
workings of government
indeed they think that ordinary people
have no capacity for political thought
gentlemen lead commoners know their
place
[Music]
one of the hardest things i think for us
to recapture of this
distant different world is the
distinction between commoners and
gentlemen
a kind of distinction that we find hard
to understand because
for us almost all adult males are
gentlemen
we put it on our restroom doors the term
but these gentlemen saw themselves as
separate from the rest of the populace
18th century men women and children of
every race class and region
actually believed that hierarchy was the
norm
in nature and in society some people
were better than other people some
people were placed in
circumstances that were better poor
people
were thought of as the poor if you were
wealthy
you were superior that was how
the world operated
this world is beginning to change as
common people take an
active role in the protest movement for
many of the colonial elite
it seems to threaten the very stability
of society
there are these town meetings which
people of wealth and character do not
even attend
because they are sure to be outvoted by
men of the lowest order
so it is government by the mob this has
given the
inferior people such a sense of their
own importance
that a gentleman does not get from them
even common civility anymore
[Music]
as the boycott grows and shops once
filled with british merchandise begin to
empty
more and more people are choosing to
make do without imported manufactured
goods
i have cut back on every superfluous
expense
i haven't even bought a new cap or gown
since last christmas
i'm even learning how to knit something
i've never done before
making stockings out of good new england
wool
throwing my might for the public support
the very idea that their american
cousins are involving
commoners and now even women
in politics is a subject for hilarity by
london cartoonists
but the merchants and manufacturers in
england are not amused
their factories and counting houses are
feeling the pinch
british ministry blames a few
ringleaders for all the troubles
particularly a boston radical who
celebrates popular protest
samuel adams i am no friend of riots and
tumults
but when people are oppressed when their
rights are infringed upon when
when arbitrary rulers are put over them
when government is secret
the people become alarmed if they have
any spirit of freedom
they'll fight for their liberties and
they're justified in doing so
unofficial courts run by popular
committees begin dispensing
a rough form of justice
it is more than some gentlemen have
bargained for
a few days ago we got a taste of
committed justice
they got hold of a customs officer by
the name of malcolm
it was the coldest night of the winter
he's stripped stalk naked his body
covered all over with tar
and then with feathers they dragged him
through town in a cart
crowds beating him with clubs they say
they'll hang him
unless he'll curse the governor and the
parliament which they couldn't
make him do
the doctors say his flesh was coming off
his back in slabs
it's impossible that the poor creature
can live long
throughout the colonies daily battles
with the committees are causing royal
officials great distress
in massachusetts chief justice thomas
hutchinson
fears that his beloved province is
heading for mob rule
he secretly writes to a friend in the
british parliament that firm measures
are needed from england
it is a letter that will come back to
haunt him
a thirst for liberty seems to be the
ruling passion of the present age
this restless spirit can cause anarchy
and confusion
unless some external power restrains it
i've always known that bringing peace
and good order to massachusetts
would involve some pain perhaps there
must be an abridgement of our english
liberties
for the good of the colony
the letter confirms what the british
government is already thinking
order must be restored in massachusetts
in what they consider merely a police
action they send a brigade of troops to
boston to quell the rioters
and arrest the ringleaders
sending troops to boston is asking for
trouble you are putting young soldiers
who are by nature insolent
in the midst of a people who consider
themselves threatened and oppressed
it's like setting up a blacksmith's
forge in a magazine of gunpowder
soldiers were the policemen of the age
there was no police force now we see it
as a big deal but in fact
the use of troops against rioters was
something that was absolutely common in
the 18th century it's the only way to do
it if you don't have a police force
shooting rioters may seem an atrocious
thing to happen
it's what happens in london in the 18th
century it happens in edinburgh in the
18th century
boston is no different
march 5th 1770
[Music]
an angry crowd begins throwing snowballs
at british soldiers
the soldiers fire back and five
bostonians are killed
[Music]
paul revere produces a wildly inaccurate
illustration of the event
in his version soldiers are shooting
completely innocent civilians
the incident becomes known as the boston
massacre
it galvanizes people throughout the
colonies
[Music]
in england benjamin franklin's love
affair with the mother country
is beginning to turn sour he was drawn
to its sophistication
and culture but is starting to see the
ugly realities of its social order
i recently took a tour of ireland and
scotland
in those countries there are a small
number of noblemen and gentlemen living
in the highest opulence
while the bulk of the people their
tenants live in the most
sordid wretchedness while traveling
i often thought of the happiness of new
england
every man owns some land has a vote
and lives in a tidy warm house with
plenty of food and fuel
and has sturdy clothes from head to foot
long may we continue in this condition
the more he lived in england the more
intimate he became with parliament and
with the whole system
he saw very stupid people put in power
he saw arrogance he saw discrepancy
between the rich and the poor
he saw all kinds of wrong things about
england that he hadn't noticed at the
beginning
the dispute is dragging on year after
year
[Music]
it becomes clear that the british
attempt to tax
is not working
neither side has really backed down
benjamin franklin sees that this war of
words can easily slip into open conflict
he is looking for a way to calm
passions on both sides
in december of 1772 an astonishing
packet of letters falls into his hands
among them is the very one written by
thomas hutchinson
several years earlier to a member of
parliament
franklin knows that the british have
been relying on advice from hutchinson
in fact they have just appointed him
royal governor of massachusetts
he reads the letters in a fury convinced
that the ministry has been disastrously
misled
it is better to submit to some
abridgement
of our english liberties than to break
off our connection with our protector
england one mischievous man
is the cause of all our troubles this
coward
trades the liberties of his native
country for jobs and profit
franklin realizes that if these letters
were to become
public in massachusetts the radicals
would shift the blame for the events of
the past decade away from parliament
and lay it at the feet of hutchinson
himself
let's make him like the scapegoats of
old carry into the wilderness
all the bad feeling that he's stirred up
between our two countries
he makes a momentous decision he sends
the damning letters
to the boston radicals franklin was a
very wily character
he knew they would be published though
he sent them over saying don't publish
them
he was deliberately sacrificing
hutchinson
in order to stabilize the situation and
calm the uproar
the idea being that if you pinned the
whole thing on him that it was
hutchinson who had been instigating all
of this thing
there would be a cooling off period and
the english government would be able to
work out some kind of accommodation
publication of the letters causes a
sensation
the massachusetts legislature sends a
petition to london demanding
hutchinson's removal
the petition takes six weeks to cross
the ocean
in the meantime the king is beginning to
support the idea of reigning in the
colonies
he writes to the prime minister i am
very fond of the measures you were
taking with the end of bringing the
americans to their duty
i do not however want to drive them to
despair
only to submission
[Music]
in the fall of 1773 the british
government hits on what it thinks will
be a way of taxing the colonies that
they will actually welcome
the east india company has a surplus of
tea
parliament decides to ship half a
million pounds of this tea to america
at an extremely low price with a nominal
tax of three pennies a pound
the colonists they reason could not
possibly object to paying less for their
tea
in every colony where the tea is landed
there are loud protests
it is either sent back or stored unsold
in warehouses
in massachusetts where thomas hutchinson
is governor
the story will be different hutchinson
was the key figure in the major events
of 1773
which really precipitated the american
revolution and i think it's fair it's
not an exaggeration to say
that if he had acted differently i'd
have a different passport
november 28 1773
the first ship loaded with east india
tea arrives in boston harbor
by law the t tax must be paid within
three weeks
the decision over what to do next is
squarely in the hands of governor thomas
hutchinson
i lie awake whole night in fear that i
shall be called to account in england
for my neglect of duty to the king
hutchinson could have written to england
and said i know the law i know my duty
but i cannot enforce the law it's
physically impossible
but he didn't
it's a standoff between the radicals
we dare you to have this tea unloaded
we're strong enough we're powerful
enough now we're organized enough to
make
to make a power play against you and
hutcheson who says you will not
humiliate me you
will not defy english law like this i
will see this tea unloaded and
delivered as it should be
then on december 16 1773
the day the tax must be paid a group of
men dressed up as mohawk indians
dumped 340 chests of tea into boston
harbor
the tea party was a very limited act of
violence
in fact they they do nothing but dump
tea
a padlock is broken it's replaced
we think of this as a lot of yahooing
and yelping and noise
it was just sort of poop
poop uh they were very very careful to
keep this from
getting out of hand we're all throwing
the tea overboard
we catch someone in our party trying to
stuff some of the tea into his pockets
he is stripped of his booty and his
clothes and we send him home naked
in disgrace then
we went home in an orderly fashion
boston enjoys the most peaceful night it
has had
in many a month
there was a lot of anger in london about
the dumping of the tea
what this is is a public display of
defiance
and that kind of element of defiance
more than the constitutional
formulations is more
important this is gesture politics on
the big scale and it's very successful
we still to this day
remember the boston tea party it's one
of the most successful examples of
gesture politics and it was a gesture
that the british government
understood
[Music]
january 29th 1774
the king's privy council a hearing to
consider the massachusetts petition for
the removal of thomas hutchinson as
governor
the room is packed with london society
and
all eyes are on benjamin franklin the
center of a storm of controversy
he has admitted that it was he who had
leaked hutchinson's letters to the
boston radicals
this is going to be a great show
the acid tongue solicitor general
alexander wetterburn
is representing thomas hutchinson he
focuses the full
fury of british frustration on the
colonial representative standing mutely
in a full dress suit of manchester
velvet
it is not to be hutchinson who will be
the scapegoat
but benjamin franklin himself
[Music]
when a governor presumes to write to a
friend
that he thinks it somewhat more than the
moderate exertion of english liberty
to destroy shops attack her officers
plunder her goods to
pull down their houses
it is mr hutchinson who should be
removed because he is
interrupting the harmony between great
britain
and her colonies
franklin stood conspicuously erect
the muscles of his face had previously
been composed to afford a
placid tranquil expression
it didn't change his expression in the
slightest
during the entire speech it was as if
his face was made of wood
in truth we have standing before us the
real
incendiary the man behind those
committees who are inflaming the whole
province
against his majesty's government they
have well learned the lessons taught in
dr franklin's school of politics
this wily american
this man without honor this thief
this man of letters
the attack got very personal referring
to franklin as someone
other than a gentleman and who else
would open other people's mail steal
other people's
letters and so on uh and and franklin is
said to have walked out of the cockpit
and turned to winterburn and said
i'll make your king a little man for
this
[Music]
they have begun killing the messengers
what i feel for myself is lost in what i
feel for my country
seems that i am too much an american
it took franklin a very long time to
become a revolutionary it was a very
slow evolution
step by step and slowly he was
profoundly attached to england you could
call it the love affair what he had with
england
but this love which had been so deep was
now
turning to implacable hatred
it was the reaction of a rejected
suitor franklin in disgrace
is threatened with further prosecution
for the theft of the letters
he realizes that he must leave england
his friend and fellow scientist joseph
priestley
is with him at the end
we spent his last day in london alone
together
much of the time we looked through the
american newspapers
as he read the speeches by the
inhabitants of boston
the tears trickled down his cheek
[Music]
now in parliament the hardliners take
charge
in the province of massachusetts bay you
have no government
no governor you have only the
proceedings of a tumultuous and riotous
rabble
merchants collecting themselves together
to debate political matters
we will put an end to their town
meetings and let them return to their
shops
not trouble themselves with politics and
government which they do not understand
the british send a fleet of warships to
boston
they encircle the harbor as if it were
an enemy port
the ships clear their guns ready for
firing
the greatest fear of the colonists
british tyranny
seems to have come true the port of
boston is closed
massachusetts is put under military rule
it's government enforced at the point of
a gun
i worked last night shaking from a
frightful dream
we have come to the edge of the ocean
and there is no advancing or retreating
my own sons may sink in the torrent
i wish i pray that there be some decent
honorable way to put an end to this
conflict
to be once again reconciled with old
friends
our cause is righteous and i have no
doubt a final success
but i see our generation
and perhaps our whole land drowned in
blood
as liberty continues this is but the
first scene of what may be a great
tragedy
the colonies unite to strike as one now
blows must decide
whether they're to be our subjects or
independent
but the blows of ideology we hold these
truths to be self-evident
that all men are created equal strike
deeper than the bayonet
america shall make a stand not for
herself alone
but for the world
[Music]
you're watching pbs
the series liberty the american
revolution
is available on videocassette as a three
volume set
the companion book to liberty has more
than 250 color images
and is written by historian thomas
fleming the soundtrack includes a music
of mark o'connor
wynton marsalis yo ma and james taylor
all are available by calling pbs home
video at 1-800-828-4pbs
liberty on kcet is made possible by our
members
and the following foothill capital
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one of america's leading asset-based
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across the united states and canada
foothill capital corporation a norwest
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