The Intolerable Acts and Continental Congress

Hello, American Historyteeller listeners. I have an exciting announcement. I'm going on tour and coming to a theater near you. This live show is a thrilling evening of history, storytelling, and music, with a full band accompanying me as we look back to explore the days that made America And they aren't the days that you might think. Sure, everyone knows july fourth, seventeen seventy six. We'll be hearing a lot about that date this year But there are many other days that are maybe even more influential. So come out to see me live. More shows to be announced soon. So for information on tickets and upcoming dates, go to Americanhistorylive. com. That's Americanhistorylive dot comot Come see my Days that Made America tour live on stage. goo to Americanhistorylive dot com Imagine it's the night of april eighteenth, seventeen seventy five. 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 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 writer and force him to pull up short tug of your res, you close the ring around him, draw your pistol I order you to dismount. 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? 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 heart beat 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 five hundred militimen are gathered in Concord 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? Search him for weapons. What was that? Revere grins, his eyes full of mischief. Well, it's a signal volley, a warning for every minute man and earshot 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 I'm Leon Nefk, best known as the co creator of Slowburn and Fiasco I had of course heard of On fans, but always with a distant and quiet skepticism A silent judgment, you might say Who is actually using this platform? U I am I'm Oly Fans creator and comedian, Gracie Canan. I work from home now. I'm on Oly fans and In case you guys don't know what Oly Fans is, ask your husband. My journalistic curiosity got the best of me when I found out that my own sister had started an Ofans account I'm not a sister, just to clarify. It turns out, a lot of what I thought I knew about Only fans was wrong I felt like I wasted three point five years for something that wasn't real. what happens when connection comes with a price tag? Listen to Only Fantasy wherever you get your podcasts, or binge all episodes of Only Fantasy ad free right now, only on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple podcasts. There are people you're told to trust, lawyers, teachers, especially doctors But what happens when you put your life in someone's hands and they betray you? The hit podcast Doctor Death is back. And this season is unlike any other. Dor. Death, the cowboy, is the story of a charming neurosurgeon who rode into western towns selling a persona of confidence and care He wore cowboy boots in the operating room and became sought after by patients He promised to heal them. Instead, he left a trail of broken bodies This season is about a doctor who was never truly held accountable for the patients whose lives he ruined A story of greed, betrayal, and a fight for justice that will leave you questioning who to trust Listen to Dr. Death, the cowboy, wherever you get your podcasts. or binge the entire series right now, only with Audible. Forrom Audle Originals, I'm Lindsy Graham and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story On our show, we take you to the events, the times and the people that shape America and Americans. ourur 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 On the night of april eighteenth, seventeen seventy five 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 Bowtels of Lexington and Concord culmination of a decade of tensions over taxes, representation, and imperial control And as colonial resistance escalated into open revolt teen colonies joined together to break the bonds of British rule found a new nation United States of America But from the start, the odds were stacked against them. 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. 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 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 On july third, seventeen fifty four A twenty two year old major in the Virginia militia led three hundred 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 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 seventeen fifty four, 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 seventeen fifty eight, he had learned invaluable lessons about discipline, alliance building, and adaptability, experience he would carry with him in the years to come. Several years later, in seventeen sixty three, 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 spark celebrations throughout the thirteen 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 thirteen colonies had doubled every twenty five years, and by the time of the war's end in seventeen sixty three, the colonies were home to nearly two million people, including Native Americans, 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. They read British books, wore British clothes, and spoke proudly of their contributions to the growing British emmpire. In seventeen sixty, leading colonnist Benjamin Franklin wrote have long been of the opinion that the foundations for 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 look forward to the day when white settlers would occupy the entire continent 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 Custus, 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 fifty thousand 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 that most of the continent was still controlled by native people white settlers streamed into the Ohio River Valley Their encroachment on native lands sparked a widespread uprising in the summer of seventeen sixty three known as Pontiac's Rebellion Indian nations attack British forts and settlements, defending their lands and autonomy And in response to this violence, the British government handed down a proclamation in october seventeen sixty three, 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, British threaten the ambitions of land hungry colonists And they soon discovered that a measure designed to promote peace and stability become a source of bitter resentment 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. 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 pasttering me. He says this isn't my land and he's been threatening you. 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. 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 going to 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. O go where. I don't care where you go. Just as long as it back east over the mountains. 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 Are 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 Frown will spend more money restraining its own colonists than it ever did fighting the French When the colonists received news of the seventeen sixty three proroclamation, 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 Rentful that distant powers in London were trying to control their lives And the colonists' resentments were not unfounded The proclamation of seventeen sixty three 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 twenty two 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 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 thirteen 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 ten thousand troops in America to police the frontier and defend the seventeen sixty three proroclamation 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 own defense And that meant new taxes In seventeen sixty four, British Pime 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 Grrenvold drew more controversy when in february seventeen sixty five Parliament handed down the stamp backack This law set to take effect on november first 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 fifty years, but the Stamp A was the first time Parliament planned to tax the thirteen colonies directly And when newews of the Stamp Act arrived in Virginia that spring A twenty nine 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 seventeen sixty five to the floor with a fiery speech accusing Parliament of taxation without representation Colonists were accustomed to the colonial assemblies instituting taxes and local laws But they had no representatives in the British Parliament in London. Henry argued that the stamp Act. 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 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 Sven resolutions. uncontroversial statements affirming that the colonists possess 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 Printing all seven resolutions, the press suggested 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 seventeen sixty five, there were two dozen newspapers in colonial America, then one of the most literate societies in the world printers and editors had a personal stake in a law that taxed 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 Frinters warned that the tax might mean the death of newspapers and with them the death of liberty So as summer turned to fall in seventeen sixty five 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. thirteen colonies would begin to form a united front against imperial power Whether you're exploring your current fascinations or discovering new ones, Audible has all the stories that'll introduce you to your most fascinating self. 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Tap into a whole new world of heated conversations with a Sucy romantasy series. Become your friend group's sci fi expert on the latest blockbuster book to screen adaptation Or find unexpected reveals through the exclusive episodes of a viral true crime podcast. However you choose to listen, Audible keeps you fascinated so you can be just as fascinating. All in one easy app, with plans now starting at eight do ninety nine cents, you'll get access to over one million audioobooks and podcasts, including trending bestsellers Hottest new releases and exclusive podcasts you won't find anywhere else. Sign up now to become a member and get any audiobo book every month plus exclusive podcasts. Plans now start at eightll ninet nine cents. Be fascinated, be fascinating In the summer of seventeen sixty five, a new leader emerged in Boston, Massachusetts, galvanizing opposition to the Stampack 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 A which he saw as nothing short of tyyranny with his rumpled clothes, weak voice and trembling hands. Adams rarely struck a memorable first impression But despite his unassuming exterior if you 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 Adam eats little, drinks little, sleeps little, thinks much, and is most decisive and inefatigable in the pursuit of his objects In the summer of seventeen sixty five, Adams channeeled 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 At 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 Then, after dark, crowds stormed the streets, burned the effigy, and descended on Oliver's home, ready to tear it apart 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 Now your worst feeders 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 G people G 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. You speak of property while you destroy a man's home. Burn his things to ashes. mister Oliver has done nothing but obey the law. Ay, a law that pleases parliament pass 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. But the rioter only shakes his head confidence radiating from him. Boys, let's show these toories what we think of their law. The stone strikes your foot, and you stag your 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 On the night of august fourteenth, seventeen sixty five 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 crowd's 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 manansion. He and his family made a narrow escape before crowds wrecked his furniture, paintings, and silverware But Hudutchinson himself opposed the stampback Still, he called the attack on his home the most barbarous outrage which was ever committed in America. 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 October seventeen sixty five, delegates from nine colonies traveled to New York for the Stamp Act Congress, where they agreed to draft a formal appeal to Parliament whileile affirming their loyalty to the king who was still widely revered urged him to persuade Parliament to repeal the stamp Act. They insisted that only their own colonial assemblies could levy taxes, 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 StampF Act Congress held by colonial authorities represented a major step toward collective action The spirit of cooperation was symbolized by the motto they adopted, Join or die, originally coined by Benjamin Franklin in a failed attempt to rally colonial unity during the French and Indian War And the StAF Act Congress's petitions to London was not the only action taken to put pressure on parliament Around the same time, two hundred merchants gathered in a New York Tavern at the end of October to organize a boycott of Briditished goods Similar boycotts quickly spread throughout the colonies, and forced by the sons of Liberty, who threatened retaliation to anyone who refused to participate so that by november first, 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 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 seventeen sixty six, Parliament summoned Benjamin Franklin to appear before them as an expert witness to explain the colony's response to the stamp A Now sixty 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 seventeen sixties, he was living in London as a lobbyist for Pennsylvania But although Franklin opposed the state act He still held a deep loyalty to Britain So standing before Parliament, he patiently answered nearly two hundred 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 pack British officials remained intent on raising 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 Colonists knew that merchants would inevitably pass the high costs onto consumers, and the news of these toownsend actacks 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 They enforced boycotts by refusing to buy British goods, made homespun cloth and organized public spinning events A newspaper writer wrote We 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 seventeen sixty eight, he convinced the Massachusetts Assembly to issue a letter to other colonial assemblies urging them to work together to resist the Townseen A 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 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 fifth, seventeen seventy. when a mob of communists 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 Addos, who was at the front of the crowd In the days and weeks that followed, Samuel Adams labeled the clash the Boston Massacre and explosive essays in the Boston Gazette And he made martyrs of addicts 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, 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 prowing 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 Townsend Acts, leaving only the tax on T in place These concessions eased tensions for more than two years, but the fragile calm came to an abrupt end in seventeen seventy three when Parliament once again interfered in the tea trade by passing the Ta Act a sort of government bailout designed to boost sales for the struggling British East India compomany Already, the colonists resented the lingering tax on tea imports, but this new law gave the British comppany a monopoly on the tea trade manyany feared that it would drive American team merchants out of business And then in late november seventeen seventy three 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 Customs officials refused to let the ships leave oth sons of Lberty refus 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 sixteenth, seventeen seventy three. one hundred 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 three hundred and forty two chests of tea, and dumped them overboard This blatant destruction of private property, worth more than one point seven million dollars 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 resistance. I'm Leon Nefk best known as the co creator of Slowburn and Fiasco I had of course heard of O fans, but always with a distant and quiet skepticism. silent judgment, you might say Who is actually using this platform? U I am I'm On Fans creator and comedian, Gracie Canan work from home now I'm on oldie fans and In case you guys don't know what Oie fans is, ask your husband My journalistic curiosity got the best of me when I found out that my own sister had started an only Fans account I'm not a sister, just to clarify. It turns out, a lot of what I thought I knew about On fans was wrong wased three point five years for something that wasn't real What happens when connection comes with a price tag? Listen to Only Fantasy wherever you get your podcasts, or binge all episodes of Only Fantasy ad free right now, only on Audible. Start your Audible subscription in the Audible app or on Apple podcasts Hello, I'm Matt Ford. And I'm Alice Levine. And we're the hosts of British Scandal. Yes we are, and our new series starts with a loud, lovable woman from Bermondsey who becomes one of the most famous people in Britain. This is the story of Jade Goody, the reality TV star who built a fortune just by being herself. and then lost everything in one of the most public racism scandals Britain has ever seen. It's a story of fame and a change of the conversation around cervical cancer forever Follow British scandal wherever you get your podcasts or listen early and ad free on Audible In the spring of seventeen seventy four, 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 in 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. At firstirst, 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 arrmy to quarter soldiers in private homes And in a major affront to Massachusetts' proud history of local governance Parliament revoked the colony's charter 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 partarty. 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 heal So he sent Gage back to Boston with four fresh regiments of soldiers. But this new strategy quickly backfired 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 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 cololonial 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 refuse to accept Gage's authority as their new governor In the summer of seventeen seventy four, 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 seventeen seventy four, leaders from every colony but Georgia gathered in Philadelphia for the first Continental Congress Patrick Henry describeed the new spirit of unity taking hold, declaring the distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more I am not a Virginian But in America 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. Desite 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 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. Bloes must decide whether they are to be subject to this country or independence 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 seventeen seventies, 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 twentieth, the Continental Congress introduced a sweeping boycott of British trade known as the Continental Association. And throughout the colies, local committees were tasked with enforcing strict compliance. Imagine it's march seventeen seventy five in Wilmington, North Carolina You're lingering over breakfast with your family when you hear a knock on the front door I had a kiss on your daughter's head as you walked to the entrance, wondering who could be calling it this out 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. Archibald McLane, 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?