On Liberating Ourselves, Part I – Joining the Sons of LibertyOnce again, you are traveling back in time…..
The year is 1774. You’ve lived in Boston for fourteen years, but the past 7 years have been all but peaceful here.It all started with the taxes. You had been accustomed to paying them as a subject of the Crown, but seriously?!?! Every item now seemed to bear a tax of some sort or another – and they seemed to be vastly increasing!! And there was always the question that everyone asked in the colony: what did the money go for?
Then, came the British soldiers. At first, it had been just a garrison – a standard patrol for protection. Now, it appeared to be two or three, perhaps even more. Every so often, a British navy ship would slip in and dock in at the harbor – large and imposing, she would loom ominously over the burgeoning city. Then came the Boston Massacre. People have been growing increasingly frustrated with situation in Boston. You might have stayed out of the fray had you not become personally involved in the situation just last week. At that point, you decided enough was enough.
Tonight, you walked down a dark alleyway to an old tavern where you had heard rumors a group of men gathered each Thursday evening. On the back door, you gave the three quick raps, and the door swung open. A burly man close to six feet tall stood in the doorway, a hatchet held aloft. With a shaky voice you stumbled out the passphrase in Latin to gain admittance, and the man drops the hatchet and heartily welcomes you into the meeting of the Boston Sons of Liberty.
This evening, you have come to read your grievances against the British Crown, including the final incident which motivated you to join the Sons of Liberty.
In this activity, you will be writing the statement you will be reading before the Sons of Liberty. You will be writing out your grievances against the British Crown as a colonist and what your motivation was to join the Sons of Liberty. There is no “right” or “wrong” answer with this activity – enjoy the experience of learning about the time and being a colonist before the Revolutionary War!
Your response should be a minimum of two complete paragraphs (three complete sentences) in length.