Man is Mortal, Justice is Eternal

Cambridge, MA was the first home of the American Army. Militiamen from across New England gathered here on the Cambridge Common in the months following Lexington and Concord to be at the ready should the British troops attempt to leave Boston again. On July 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress resolved to establish a Continental Army, which added troops from Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to the 22,000 already gathered around Boston.

The Old Burying Ground in Cambridge is the final resting place for 19 known soldiers of the Revolution (including Black soldiers Cato Stedman Freeman and Neptune Frost). On the 250th anniversary of the establishment of army, we honor the New Englanders who were the first to defend our American ideals, and the first to sacrifice their lives for those ideals. Though individuals are mortal, our commitment to preserving liberty, justice, learning, decency, and freedom is eternal.

The Washington Elm on Cambridge Common is the descendent of the tree under which George Washington mythically took command of the Continental Army. What do we have in common with the New Englanders who made up America’s first army? What do we have in common with one another today?

Your Humble Servant,

Silence Dogood

July 14, 2025