Expose the Indefensible Position of Tyranny
On March 17, 1776 the British evacuated Boston after 8 years of occupation and an 11 month siege, driven out by the ingenuity, perseverance and collective action of a book seller, a millwright, a doctor, and thousands of other everyday revolutionaries.
When the British arrived in Boston in 1768 there was no way Bostonians could have known how long their streets would be occupied or that their actions would bring about a new nation 8 years later. They only knew that military forces in their city were unjust, and they were willing to make sacrifices, think creatively, act boldly, and come together to resist.
Boston bookseller Henry Knox planned and executed a 300 mile journey to bring much needed artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to this hill overlooking Boston. A millwright and farmer, Rufus Putnam, engineered the fortifications here on Dorchester Heights, and the almost 3,000 continental troops were led by a local doctor, General John Thomas.
Through their perseverance they were able to seize the high ground around Boston by cover of darkness on March 4. The British awoke the next day to discover their position in Boston was indefensible. British General Howe exclaimed that the work of fortifying Dorchester Heights overnight must have been done by 20,000 men. He underestimated those who resist tyranny. Knowing they were beaten, the British forces loaded onto ships in the Boston harbor and sailed away on March 17. Abigail Adams wrote, “the sun looks brighter, the birds sing more melodiously.”
Not all of Boston was liberated that day. Enslaved people were still enslaved. Native people were still removed from their ancestral land. Women still lived under coverture.
250 years later, we once again face tyranny. Many of the same forces that motivated American rebels in the 18th century are back: abuse of power, military presence in our cities endangering citizens, funding expensive foreign wars, the intent to reduce representation in government by making it harder to vote.
We don’t know how long this will last, but if we can muster up that same ingenuity and perseverance to come together, think creatively, and act boldly, soon enough the sun will look brighter for all of us.
Your Humble Servant,
Silence Dogood
March 17, 2025
