Good morning. My name is Colonel Fenton. I have been called on by Governor Gage…
The year was 1774. It was a beautiful summer day in New England. And like the weather, tensions between the British army and the Massachusetts colonists were running hot.
General Thomas Gage had just replaced Thomas Hutchinson as Governor of Massachusetts. His first order of business was to get Samuel Adams and his troublesome group known as the Sons of Liberty under control.
To do so, Gage dispatched Col. Fenton to deliver a personal message to Adams. That brings us back to the conversation held on Adams’ doorstep.
Col. Fenton:I have been called on by Governor Gage to assure you, Mr. Adams, that the governor has been empowered to confer upon you such benefits as would be satisfactory, upon the condition that you engage to cease in your opposition to the measures of the government. It is the Governor’s advice to you, Sir, not to incur the further displeasure of his majesty. Your conduct has been such as makes you liable to penalties of an Act of Henry VIII, by which persons can be sent to England for trial for treason, or misprison of treason, at the discretion of a governor of a province. But, BY CHANGING YOUR POLITICAL COURSE, you will not only receive great personal advantages but you will make your peace with the King.
It was a classic bribe wrapped in a threat.
Governor Gage gave Sam Adams a choice to make. He could stop opposing the British government and receive personal bribes in return. Or he could continue knowing that he may be arrested and tried for treason. The penalty for which was death by hanging.
Adams did not hesitate for a second. And he insisted that Col. Fenton deliver his response to General Gage word for word.
Sam Adams: Then you may tell Governor Gage that I trust I have long since made my peace with the King of Kings. No personal consideration shall induce me to abandon the righteous cause of my Country. And TELL GOVERNOR GAGE THAT IT IS THE ADVICE OF SAMUEL ADAMS TO HIM, no longer to insult the feelings of an exasperated people.
There it is. That single decision made the American Revolution inevitable in New England.
When Fenton delivered Adams’ reply to the Governor, Gage flew into a rage and issued this proclamation:
I do, hereby, in his majesty’s name, offer and promise his most gracious pardon to all persons who shall forthwith lay down their arms, and return to the duties of peaceable subjects, excepting only from the benefit of such pardon, Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whose offenses are too flagitious in nature to admit of any other consideration but that of condign punishment.
Adams and Hancock were now wanted men in Massachusetts. And Gage hoped his offer for pardon would entice some colonists to turn them in.
In response, Adams called a secret meeting for the Sons of Liberty and their supporters. In it, Adams insisted that they needed to form a Congress with representatives from the other colonies of British America.
Adams realized that they needed an organized entity that could negotiate with British government on behalf of the colonies. And he knew forming such a Congress would unite the colonists under a common cause – opposition to British rule.
Meanwhile, in Virginia, a gentleman by the name of Thomas Jefferson was at work publishing his Summary View of the Rights of British America. That document clearly outlined the grievances the American colonies had against the British Crown.
When the British government in Virginia learned of this document, it notified Jefferson that he was subject to prosecution for high treason. According to the archives of colonial Virginia, this prompted firebrand Patrick Henry to tell Jefferson: If this be treason, then make the most of it.
Under those circumstances the Virginia colonists were more than happy to establish a Congress per Adams’ suggestion. Thus, the First Continental Congress formed. Its first meeting took place in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. And the Congress continued to meet in intervals for two years… until history was forever changed.
On June 7, 1776, a Virginian by the name of Richard Henry Lee stood and addressed the Congress:
Gentlemen, I make the motion that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states, that they be absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.
There it was. Secession – full independence – was on the table. And everybody in the room knew exactly what that meant. Nobody thought for a second that the most powerful army in the history of the world would give up its prized colonies so easily.
The Congress debated the idea of secession for several days. Losing patience, this prompted Lee to take the podium once again:
Mr. President, we have discussed this issue for days. It is the only course for us to follow. Why then, Sir, do we longer delay? Why still deliberate? Let this happy day give birth to an American Republic. Let her arise, not to devastate and to conquer, but to reestablish the reign of peace and of law. The eyes of Europe are fixed upon us. She demands of us a living example of freedom that may exhibit a contrast, in the felicity of the citizen, to the ever-increasing tyranny.
This brought the motion to a vote… and it passed.
Thomas Jefferson was tasked with writing America’s official Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. That was the legal document that officially severed the political connection between the American colonies and the British Crown.
Jefferson read the first draft of his Declaration in front of the Congress on June 28, 1776. It was discussed for several days and several changes were made.
On July 4, 1776, Jefferson stood up again and fearlessly read the final Declaration. Then it was put up for a vote. Those in favor were asked to sign their names to the revolutionary document.
We should stop and think about this for a second…
These were real people with real lives. They had families, businesses, and farms back home. Yet here they were being asked to sign a document that would make them all a target of the greatest army that had ever been assembled in history. Each delegate present knew full-well that, if they signed, they would be hung for treason should they be captured by the British.
Still, 56 delegates signed their name to America’s Declaration of Independence. That was the vast majority. Only a few refused to sign.
This single act altered the course of human history forever. And it paved the way for the great American experiment. More on that tomorrow…
-Joe Withrow
P.S. This account comes from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich. It’s one of the most formative books I’ve ever read.
And for those who enjoy this kind of actionable study of history, I can’t recommend Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom enough. I’ve learned far more from Liberty Classroom courses than I did in school.
What’s more, these courses prompt us to truly consider the meaning behind certain historical acts. It’s not just about names and dates… which convey no true purpose. It’s about understanding the ideas driving historical figures and key events. Ideas run the world.
If you would like to review Liberty Classroom’s course listings, just go right here: Tom Woods Liberty Classroom Course Listing