The Revolt of the Colonies

Part six of an eight part series on the history of America from its earliest times through to the age of George Washington, told by master storyteller Jacob Abbott.This volume provides a fascinating and detailed account of all the events that led up to the opening military engagements of what became the American Revolution. Starting with a discussion of how the concept of government, independence, and liberty took root in the thirteen colonies because of their unique social makeup, the author moves on to contrast this with the commercial and economic demands of England.The introduction of the Stamp Act and its effect upon the colonies is treated with objectivity and the author fairly reviews both sides of the argument-and discusses many of the excesses committed by individuals on both sides.As events sped up, the clock was set in motion for a military clash. The exploits of, among others, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, James Otis, and the other major players are revealed in gripping detail, along with the heavy-handed Boston Massacre, the burning of HMS Gaspee, the Boston Tea Party, and the Battle of Lexington-when the British finally realized that they were no longer dealing with unhappy colonists, but a full-fledged rebellion."The news of what had taken place at Lexington and Concord spread like wildfire among all the neighboring towns, and the people everywhere seized their arms, organized themselves into companies, and hastened to the line of the road which the troops must take in returning, to intercept and harass them on their march. They fired at them from behind trees and stone walls, and lay in ambush for them at every turn. They followed them up so closely as not to allow them a moment's rest, and worried them with so galling and incessant a fire that they became in the end almost entirely exhausted; and indeed, it was thought that they would have been entirely cut off and the whole body captured if General Gage had not sent out a strong force to meet and rescue them. By the assistance of this force they succeeded in getting back to Charlestown, though with a loss of nearly a quarter of their number."ContentsCHAPTER I: Principles of GovernmentCHAPTER II: The Mother Country and the ColoniesCHAPTER III: The Stamp ActCHAPTER IV: Progress of the QuarrelCHAPTER V: Military PreparationsCHAPTER VI: The Middle and Southern ColoniesCHAPTER VII: The Boston MassacreCHAPTER VIII: Popular OutbreaksCHAPTER IX: The Boston Port BillCHAPTER X: War