In 1768, 1,200 British troops occupied Boston to quell the protests of the townspeople against arbitrary taxation – a standing army in time of peace was contrary to the accepted rights of Englishmen. The soldiers, seeking extra money to supplement their army pay by moonlighting, competed with the townsmen for jobs. (They also competed for the attention of Boston’s maidens.) Tension was in the air. Townspeople suffered abuse at …
The “Long Room Club” was a highly secretive group which formed around 1765 (Stamp Act Crisis). They met at a building owned by St. Andrew’s Masonic Lodge known as the Green Dragon. Its members were hand-selected by Samuel Adams and James Otis. Though no list is known to exist, members included Samuel Adams, James Otis, Dr. Joseph Warren, Josiah Quincy Jr., John Hancock, Rev. Samuel Cooper, Paul Revere, John …
Great Britian’s Seven Years War with France proved a great financial drain. Those in England were already burdened with taxes. The American Colonies, well established by 1760, seemed the perfect means for new revenue. The King of England had sent troops to fight the French forces on the American frontier. Certainly, the colonies needed to show their appreciation by their submission in providing the monies necessary for this defense–or …