The 1689 Uprising in Boston, revisited (episode 165)

Early one April morning, the people of Boston rose up in revolt against the royal government of Massachusetts.  Militia marched in the streets, while an alarm brought more armed men from towns all over the area. Soon, the rebels controlled the mainland, while the royal navy still commanded the harbor.  You might think I mean the “shot heard ‘round the world” that started the American Revolution in Lexington. Instead, we’re talking about the 1689 Boston revolt, when the people rose up and overthrew their royal governor, 86 years and one day before the battles at Lexington and Concord.  


The 1689 Uprising in Boston

Boston Book Club

A few months ago, the Journal of the American Revolution published an article by Alexander Cain called “Massachusetts Privateers During the Siege of Boston.”  A frigate belonging to the Royal Navy plays a key part in this week’s story of the 1689 Boston uprising, but of course, the Navy would play an even more central role in the siege of Boston in 1775 and 1776.  After patriot forces surrounded Boston, the occupying redcoats could no longer trade with the surrounding countryside for food, fuel, and other supplies. At first, they tried to buy or confiscate supplies from farms on the Boston Harbor Islands.  Because the islands were small, and because the patriots began opposing these missions, this strategy didn’t last very long. By the late fall of 1775, the British Army and Navy, as well as the people of Boston would be heavily dependent on supplies brought in from the Caribbean, Canada, and the British Isles.  

Success for the patriot cause depended on cutting these long supply lines and starving the British out.  By the end of 1775, Congress had authorized the new Continental Navy, and Massachusetts was building its own naval force.  However, neither of them had any significant capabilities before the siege ended. Instead, Massachusetts would rely on privateers to chase, engage, and hopefully capture the merchant vessels that were bringing supplies to Boston.  Privateering is often described as legalized piracy, with privately owned and employed ships and crews authorized by a government to take on an enemy’s ships for profit. By the end of 1775, Massachusetts was cranking out dozens, perhaps hundreds, of the letters of marque that authorized a privateer.  The article says, “these privateers traveled in groups that varied in size from a few ships to over twenty. One such squadron from Newburyport consisted of twenty-five vessels and over 2,800 men. A second from the same town boasted thirty vessels.”

The article uses sources from both sides of the war to outline how successful the privateer soon were.  The patriots gloat about the sheer number of vessels their privateers were capturing, which not only denied supplies to the enemy, but also helped their army with stores of food, weapons, and vast stocks of ammunition.  On the Redcoat side, hardship was the watchword, as fall turned to winter, and the situation in Boston became desperate. Private soldiers blamed their officers, and in many cases, the officers blamed British Admiral Samuel Graves, who they thought was being too cautious with his fleet, securing them in Boston Harbor instead of pursuing the privateer menace.

Along with the article, there’s also a companion interview with Alexander Cain on the podcast Dispatches.

Upcoming Event

At noon on January 8, PhD candidate Miriam Lieberman of the City University of New York will be giving a lunchtime talk at the Massachusetts Historical Society about the role of women during and after the American Revolution.  Titled, “Thus Much for Politicks: American Women, Diplomacy, and the Aftermath of the American Revolution,” here’s how the MHS describes the event:

This talk looks at the ways women used non-republican methods of politicking on behalf of the United States while abroad in Europe, focusing on Abigail Adams’s time abroad in London and Paris. Situating Adams in an international and diplomatic context highlights the ways she influenced American foreign and domestic policy while abroad. Using five different themes— letters, politics and political intrigue, money and economic diplomacy, social networks, and republicanism and aristocracy abroad— this work analyzes her politicking in Europe.

The talk is free and open to the public with no reservations.  Just bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy while Ms Lieberman speaks. 

Transcript

Music

Jake:
[0:04] Welcome Toe Hub history, where we go far beyond the Freedom Trail to share our favorite stories from the history of Boston. The Hub of the Universe.
This is Episode 1 65 The 16 89 Boston Uprising Revisited.
Hi, I’m Jake. This week, I’m going to be talking about a time when Boston and rose up in revolt against the royal government of Massachusetts, militia members marched in the streets while an alarm brought more armed men from towns all over the area.
Soon, the rebels control the mainland while the Royal Navy still commanded Boston Harbor.
I’m not talking about the shot heard around the world. Not Lexington and Concord.
No, I’m talking about the 16 89 Boston revolt when the people rose up and overthrew their royal governor 86 years before the start of our American Revolution.
This is a topic we covered way back in Episode six. We’re just figuring out how this whole podcasting thing was gonna work.
I hope you’ll agree that this week’s treatment has better research, writing and recording quality.

[1:09] But before I talk about the uprising in 16 89 it’s time for this week’s Boston Book Club selection and our upcoming historical event.

[1:18] My pick for the Boston Book Club this week is an article published a few months ago in the Journal of the American Revolution.
In just a few minutes, we’ll hear how a frigate belonging to the Royal Navy was a crucial player in the 16 89 Boston uprising.
But of course, the Navy would play an even more central role in the siege of Boston.
In 17 75 and 17 76 after Patriot forces surrounded Boston, the occupying red coats could no longer trade with the surrounding countryside for food, fuel or other supplies.
At first, they tried to buy or confiscate supplies from farms in the Boston Harbor Islands because the islands were small and because the Patriots began opposing those missions.
This strategy didn’t last very long.
By the late fall of 17 75 the British Army and Navy, as well as the people of Boston, would be heavily dependent on supplies brought in from the Caribbean, Canada and the British Isles.
Success for the Patriot cause depended on cutting these long supply lines and starving the British out.
By the end of 17 75 Congress had authorized the new Continental Navy, and Massachusetts was building its own naval force, whoever neither of them had any significant capabilities before the siege ended.
Instead, Massachusetts would rely on privateers to chase, engage and hopefully capture the merchant vessels that were bringing supplies to Boston.

[2:43] Private hearing is often described as legalized piracy, with privately owned unemployed ships and crews authorized by a government to take on an enemy ships for profit.
By the end of 17 75 Massachusetts was cranking out dozens and dozens of the letters of Mark that authorized a privateer, the article says.
Thes privateers traveled in groups that varied in size from a few ships toe over 20 one such squadron from Newburyport consisted of 25 vessels and over 2800 men.
A second from the same town boasted 30 vessels.

[3:20] The article uses. Sources from both sides of the ward outlined how successful the privateers soon were.
The Patriots gloat about the sheer numbers of vessels there. Privateers were capturing, which not only denied supplies to the enemy but also helped their army with stores of food, weapons and vast stocks of ammunition.
On the red coat side, hardship was the watchword this fall turned the winner, and the situation in Boston became desperate.
Private soldiers blame their officers, and in many cases the officers blamed British Admiral Samuel Graves, but they thought was being too cautious with his fleet, securing them in Boston Harbor instead of pursuing the Privateer Menace.

[4:00] After you’ve read the article, you can listen to an interview with author Alexander Kane on the Journal of the American Revolution.
Podcast Dispatches And for our upcoming event this week, I’m featuring a talk about the role of women during and after the American Revolution.
On January 8th, CUNY PhD candidate Miriam Lieberman will be giving a lunchtime talk at the Massachusetts Historical Society, titled thus much for politics, American women, diplomacy and the aftermath of the American Revolution.
Here’s how that it may just describes the event this talk looks at the ways women used non Republican methods of politicking on behalf of the United States while abroad in Europe, focusing on Abigail Adams time abroad in London, in Paris,
situating Adams in an international and diplomatic context highlights the way she influenced American foreign and domestic policy while abroad.
Using five different themes. Letters, politics and political intrigue, money and economic policy, social networks and Republicanism and aristocracy abroad.
This work analyzes her politicking in Europe.

[5:10] The talks free and open to the public with no reservation required.
Just bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy. While Ms Lieberman speaks, we’ll have the information you need as well.
It’s links to that article in Podcast about Massachusetts privateers in this week’s show Notes Just go to hum history dot com slash 1 65 to find them.

[5:32] Before I go on with the show. I just want to take a moment to thank our Patri on sponsors.
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You help us pay for the hosting security and podcast feed that makeup history possible as our first year of asking for money comes to an end.
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If you’re not a sponsor yet and you’d like to be just goto patriot dot com slash hub history or visit hub history dot com and click on the support link.
And now it’s time for this week’s main topic.

[6:12] 1 April morning, 86 years and one day before Paul Revere’s ride in the battles of Lexington and Concord that people of Boston suddenly took up arms and the militias of the surrounding towns began marching on the city.
The royal governor, Sir Edmund Andrews, fled to the fort while the malicious surrounded it and demanded his surrender.
The rebels were at a declaration in list of grievances from the balcony of the townhouse, almost the same spot where the Declaration of Independence would be first read in Boston in 17 76.
Within eight hours of its beginning, they’re a vote had to pose the Colonial leadership.
In a way, it was a dress rehearsal for the American Revolution generations later.
But this revolution against the governor would find favor with the new king.

[7:01] Sir Edmund Andrews had arrived in Boston less than three years earlier.
King James the second, appointed him as governor of the New Dominion of New England, which it first consolidated. Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth Colony, New Hampshire and Maine.
And even before Andros is arrival, it was expanded to include Connecticut and Rhode Island.

[7:22] Since King Charles, the second, had vacated the Royal charter that his father issued for the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Andrews would now have nearly unlimited power.
He could levy new taxes without review by anyone else in government, and he could proclaim new laws that will, as long as his handpicked Privy Council reviewed them within three months and either approved or vetoed them.

[7:44] The loss of the charter in 16 84 had already turned people in Massachusetts against the royal government that Andros represented, saying that vacating it meant that the hedge which kept us from the wild beasts of the field effectually is broken down.
Andros didn’t help anything by the style of his arrival. Samuel Sewell’s diary records that he landed in Boston on December 20th 16 86 then paraded through the streets to the townhouse today’s Old State House,
accompanied by eight companies of red coats.
Before the day was over, he would offend the clergy of the town by demanding access to one of the Puritan churches in which to hold his own Anglican service is, and also by expressing a desire to publicly celebrate Christmas.
The Puritans believed that Christmas was a debauched holiday, so all celebration of it had been banned in the colony from 16 59 to 16 81 in any public observance on December 25th.
Such a CZ playing games, drinking, singing, carols, closing a shop or otherwise sitting idle from work would be looked at a scant well into the early 18th century.
Samuel Sewall observed rather smugly in 17 22 that the shops were open on Christmas Day and vendor still brought hay and other goods into town to sell.
This new governor not only demanded and was eventually given the keys to third church in which to hold its service is he even went so far as observing of Christmas service at the townhouse, the official seat of government.

[9:14] Samuel Sewall is diary entry for December 25th 16 86 reads December 25th governor goes to the townhouse to service for noon and afternoon.
A red coat going on his right hand and Captain George on the left was not a lecture on Thursday.
Shops open today generally and persons about their occasions, along with the religious offence he gave to the people of Boston.
Andros quickly angered residents of the entire Dominion.
He implemented steep tax rates on land, livestock and alcohol.
He banned towns from holding more than one town meeting per year and warned them not to take up any business of those meetings other than selecting representatives to the general court.

[9:58] Perhaps most worryingly for a colony of small landowners, he announced that all titles to land ownership that had been issued under the old charter were now void, and the owners would have to essentially repurchase their land from the Dominion government,
or go through a long, expensive legal fight.
You can see why the new governor wasn’t especially popular with the people he was supposed to be governing.
Writing. Almost 200 years later, Nathaniel Hawthorne summed up colonial grievances against Andros.
In a short story called the Great Champion, the administration of Sir Edmund Andrews lacked scarcely a single characteristic of tyranny.
A governor and counsel holding office from the king and wholly independent of the country.
Laws made in taxes levied without concurrence of the people immediate or by their representatives.
The rights of private citizens violated and the titles of all landed property declared void,
the voice of complaints stifled by restrictions on the press and finally, disaffection overawed by the first band of mercenary troops that ever marched on a free soil.

[11:06] Back in Merry old King James. The second was also proving to be less than popular with the subjects.
If you’d like a reminder about how he ended up on the throne, listen. The last week’s episode, which included the story of three regicide who fled to Boston after England was rocked by religious strife.
The regicide Sze signed the death warrant for King Charles, the first who was executed by beheading on January 30th 16 49,
11 years later, after a civil war and parliamentary rule led by Oliver Cromwell Charles, the second took the throne,
when King Charles the second, eventually passed away.
In 16 85 his brother became King James, the second, having a Catholic king on the throne of rabidly anti Catholic England, threatened to plunge the island nation into civil war again.
To head this off, a group of nobles invited James, the second son in law, William of Orange, to invade England and take the crowd.
William was a Dutch prince, and he was married to James, the seconds Protestant daughter Mary, after a mostly bloodless invasion. Time to fall on Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th, 16 88.
James the second went into exile in mainland Europe, while parliament invited William and Mary to rule Is joint regions.

[12:26] News of a Revolution in November would take a long time to cross the stormy North Atlantic in the middle of winter.
The first rumors that something important happened in the old country arrived in Boston at the beginning of April 16 90.

Jake Drop-Ins:
[12:39] Hi listeners. Its future, Jake From the editing room. That should have been April 16 89. Sorry about that.

Jake:
[12:46] In the third volume of John Gorham, PAL Freeze History of New England.
He relates how John Winslow arrived from the Caribbean island of Nevis, which would be remembered much later as the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton.
An extended quote from an affidavit given later by Winslow says,
being at Nevis there came in a ship from some part of England with the Prince of Orange is declarations and brought news also of his happy proceedings in England with his entrance there, which was very welcome news to me.
And I knew it would be so to the rest of the people in New England and I being bound leather and very willing to carry such good news with me,
gave four shillings sixpence for the said declarations on purpose to let the people in New England understand what a speedy deliverance they might expect from arbitrary power.

[13:33] We arrived at Boston Harbor the fourth day of April following, and as soon as I came home to my house, Sir Edmund Andrews understanding I brought the Princess declarations with me, sent the sheriff to me.
So I went along with him to the governor’s house, and as soon as I came in. He asked me why I did not come and tell him the news.
I told him I thought it was not my duty. Neither was a customary for any passenger to go to the governor. When the master of the ship had been with him before and told him the news, he asked me where the declarations I brought with me were.
I told him I could not tell being afraid to let him have them because he would not let the people know of any news.
He told me I was a saucy fellow and bit the sheriff carry me away to the justices of the peace.
So they asked me for my papers. I told them I would not let them have them by reason. They kept all the news from the people.
So when they saw they could not get what I bought with my money, they sent me to prison for bringing traitorous and treasonable libels and papers of news.

[14:33] That news that arrived on April 4th wasn’t even confirmation that the so called glorious revolution had been successful just William’s announcement that he was planning an invasion in the name of the Protestant church.
Still, it was enough to worry Governor Andrews and spark hope in the hearts of his opponents.
As Thomas Hutchinson tells us, in his 17 60 history of Massachusetts, a proclamation was issued charging all officers and people to be in readiness to hinder the landing of any forces which the Prince of Orange might send into those parts of the world.
The old Magistrates and heads of the people silently wished and secretly prayed for success to the glorious undertaking and determined quietly to wait the event.

[15:16] Those old Magistrates wouldn’t have to pray secretly for long. Those supporters, Vandross in the Old Regime, long believed that there have been a conspiracy leading to the revolt that broke out on April 18th.
It seems to have been entirely spontaneous, as word of William of Orange is declaration spread among the people of Boston and the surrounding towns, they just couldn’t be contained for long.
One morning in April, while people from all the surrounding towns were in Boston for the regular Thursday meeting, there seemed to be sudden activity in the streets.
Hutchinson’s history quotes an anonymous letter that a witness who saw the beginning of the insurrection wrote to the governor of Plymouth Colony.
I knew not anything of what was intended until it was began yet, being at the north end of the town, where I saw boys running in the streets with clubs in their hands encouraging one another to fight, I began to mistrust what was intended and Hasting towards the town doc.
I soon summon running for their arms, and then immediately the drums began to be and the people hastened and ran, some with and some four arms.

[16:21] Nathaniel by Field, a longtime resident of Boston, wrote to increase Mather on April 29 letting them know what had happened in Boston 11 days earlier.
Upon the 18th instant, about eight of the clock in the morning in Boston that was reported at the south into the town that in the north end they were all in arms and the like report was at the north end, respecting the south end,
whereupon Captain John George was immediately seized and about nine of the clock.
The drums beat throughout the town, and an ensign was set upon the beacon.
The Captain George mentioning that snippet was the commander of H. M s Rose, an English frigate that had control of Boston Harbor.
Capturing the captain sowed confusion, but as we’ll see it didn’t take the rose out of action.
The beating drums were meant to call out the militia, and setting an instant on the beacon meant flying a flag and the colors of William of Orange from Beacon Hill.
Seeing that they were quickly running out of friends, Governor Andros in his advisers chose this time to barricade themselves inside the fortification that later gave the Fort Hill neighborhood and Fort Point their names.

[17:32] By field describes how the governor, lieutenant governor and court of assistance from the previous government before Andrews arrived, were all escorted to the townhouse by a party of armed insurrectionists,
at the same time that rebels were seizing members, the Andros administration and government officials.
Then Mr Bradstreet, Mr Danforth, Major Richards, Dr Cooke and Mr Addington, et cetera were brought to the council house by a company of soldiers under the command of Captain Hill.
The Meanwhile, the people in arms did take up and put in jail justice Bullivant, Justice Foxcroft, Mr Randolph, Sheriff Sherlock, Captain, Ravens, Croft, Captain White,
Farewell, Broadbent, Crawford, Larkin, Smith and many more as also mercy that then jail keeper and put skates the bricklayer in its place.

[18:23] At about noon, members of the rebel group went to the balcony of the townhouse, the predecessor of the Old State House, and read a proclamation.
The introduction worries about creeping Catholicism and the colony. The old horrid pope ish plot then lays out the reasons behind the insurrection.
First up was a complaint about the loss of their ancient charter and the arbitrary rule of Governor Andrews.
Our charter was with the most injurious pretense of law condemned before it was possible for us to appear at Westminster in the legal defense of it and without a fair leave to answer for ourselves concerning the crimes falsely laid to our charge.
We were put under a president in council without any liberty for an assembly, which the other American plantations have by a commission from His Majesty.

[19:13] In little more than 1/2 a year, we saw this commission superceded by another yet more absolute no arbitrary, with which Sir Edmund Andrews arrived as our governor,
who, besides his power with the advice and consent of his council to make laws and raise taxes as he pleased, had also authority by himself to muster an employee all persons residing in the territory as occasion shall serve,
and to transfer such forces to any English plantation in America, as occasion shall require.
And several companies of red coats were now brought from Europe to support what was to be imposed on us, not without repeated menaces that some hundreds more were intended for us.
This declaration, much like our declaration of independence almost a century later, contained a lengthy list of grievances,
among them the colonists complained that Andros appointed corrupt officials who enrich themselves from fees and taxes that Bostonians were denied sitting on Juries because they wouldn’t swear an oath with their hand on the Bible because it had been local custom to swear.
With the right hand raised, this one must have really ticked Cotton Mather off because in his magnolia Christie Americana, he poured out thousands of words on the evils of touching the Bible to swear an oath.

[20:28] The declaration complained that 1000 red coats were leaving a frontier war against the native population.
But it was so badly led that the colonists thought it was a way to kill off their militia through cold and disease.
And as usual, they worried about a French attack when the colony was distracted.

[20:45] On a more fundamental level, the colonists complained that they’ve been denied their constitutional rights writing.
It was a maxim delivered in open court unto us by one of the council that we must not think the privileges of Englishmen would follow us to the end of the world.
Accordingly, we’ve been treated with multiplied contradictions to Magna Carta, the rights of which we laid claim on two.

[21:10] And while Cotton Mather was obsessed with swearing oaths, most of the rebel leadership seems stuck on their land titles because those things could not make us miserable fast enough.
There was a notable discovery made of we know not what flaw in all our titles to our lands and though, besides our purchase of them from the natives and besides our actual peaceable, unquestioned possession of them for near three score years.
And besides the promise of King Charles, the second in his proclamation sent over to us in the year 16 83 that no man here shall receive any prejudice in his freeholder estate.
We had the grant of our lands under the seal of the Council of Plymouth, which Grant was renewed and confirmed undo us by King Charles the first.
Yet we were told every day that no man was an owner of a foot of land in all the colony.
Accordingly, writs of intrusion began everywhere to be served on people that, after all, their sweat and their cost upon their formerly purchased lands, thought themselves freeholders of what they had.
And the governor caused the land’s pertaining to these and those particular men to be measured out for his creatures to take possession off.

[22:20] And then, of course, there was the sheer fact of William’s success. Moreover, we have understood, though the governor has taken all imaginable care to keep us ignorant thereof,
that the Almighty God have been pleased to prosper the noble undertaking of the Prince of Orange,
to preserve the three kingdoms from the horrible Brinks of potpourri and slavery, and to bring to a condemned punishment those worst of men by whom English liberties have been destroyed,
in compliance with which glorious action.
We ought surely to follow the patterns which the nobility, gentry and commonality and several parts of the kingdom have set before us.

[22:58] This declaration was well reasoned and well written, and it was delivered on the very first day of the insurrection in Boston.
Many people, especially supporters of Andros and King James, the second, pointed to this fact as evidence of some premeditation or conspiracy behind the uprising.
However, most observers believe that the document was written on the day of the uprising.
Credit goes to Cotton Mather, then just 26 years old.
As Thomas Hutchinson wrote, there would be room to doubt whether this declaration was not a work of time and prepared beforehand if it did not appear by the styling language to have been the performance of one of the ministers of the town of Boston,
who had a remarkable talent for very quick and sudden composers.

[23:46] If we go bye Bye Fields timeline. The first inkling that something was amiss in Boston came at about 8 a.m.
When people started chattering about men marching with arms in the north and south ends of town.
Historians tend to agree that the Russian arms was entirely organic, driven by the outrage of the common people of Boston and not by any political leaders or elites.
After the first reports of militia members arming themselves, the drums started beating and the orange flag of William was flown from Beacon Hill at about 9 a.m.
By noon, the insurrectionists controlled the townhouse, and the declaration was read to the crowds below.
Not a bad morning’s work by young Cotton Mather. Compared to over two weeks of work by five authors, they went into the similar Declaration of Independence that would be read from the Old State House balcony 87 years later.

[24:37] By the time the declaration was read. Accounts say that there were as many as 2000 men under arms in Boston, which is the number I’m a little skeptical of, given the population at the time.
Plus, there were another 1500 Charles Town who are waiting for a signal to advance.
Governor Andros was outnumbered, but he commanded the town’s key military installations.
He controlled the fort in the small garrison at Fort Hill. He might have committed Castle William.
If he could have reached he controlled the fort and small garrison at Fort Hill.
He might have commanded Castle William if he could have reached Governors Island.

Jake Drop-Ins:
[25:15] Hi, listeners. This is future Jake from the editing room. Listen, I know it’s actually Castle Island, so you know, we need the right in about that. Thanks.

Jake:
[25:24] And despite the capture of its captain, H. M s Rose on Boston Harbor was a significant source of firepower.
At about 2 p.m. The insurrectionists sent this message to the governor, signed by former Governor Simon Bradstreet and other popular leaders.
Sure, ourselves as well as many others, the inhabitants of this town in places adjacent being surprised with the people’s sudden taking the arms in the first motion whereof we were wholly ignorant,
are driven by the present existence and necessity to acquaint Your Excellency, that for the quieting and securing of the people inhabiting this country from the eminent dangers.
Many ways lie open and are exposed unto.
And for your own safety, we judge it necessary that you forthwith surrender and deliver up the government and fortifications to be preserved and to be disposed of according to order and direction for the crown of England,
which is suddenly expected, may arise,
Promising all security from violence to yourself or any other of your gentleman and soldiers in person or estate.
Or else we are assured they will endeavor the taking of the fortifications by storm.
If any opposition be made, in other words, you’d better surrender for your own good.
Are these unruly militia will storm the fort and we won’t be able to stop them.

[26:44] The anonymous letter and Hutchinson’s account shows how the crew on board H. M s Rose reacted to news of this demand.
The frigate upon the news put out all our flags and pennants and opened all airports and with all speed made ready for fight under the command of the lieutenant.
He’s swearing that he would die before she should be taken. Although the captain sent to him that if he fired one shot or did any hurt, they would kill him whom they had already seized.
But the lieutenant, not regarding kept those resolutions. All that day, the rose even sent a boat to try and pick up Andros in his party from the shore to the fort.
But it was spotted as by field describes there.
Then came information to the soldiers that a boat was come from the frigate that made towards the four, which made them haste, dither and come to the sconce. Soon after the boat got the other antis said that Governor Andrews, and about a score of gentlemen, we’re coming down out of the fort.
But the boat being seized wherein were small arms, hand grenades and a quantity of match. The governor and the rest went in again.

[27:50] At 4 p.m. After capturing the boats in fromthe Rose. Hutchinson’s letter describes how the militia marched before the Army divided and part came up on the backside of the fort.
Part went underneath the hill to the lower battery or Scott’s, where the red coats were who immediately upon their approach, retired up to the fort to their master, who rebuked them for not firing on our soldiers and, as I am informed, beat some of them.
When the soldiers came to the battery or sconce, they presently turned the great guns about and pointed them against the fort, which did much to daunt those within.
And the soldiers were so void of fear that, I presume, had those within the fort been resolute to have lost their lives in a fight,
they might have killed 100 of us at once, being so thick together before the mouths of the canon of the fort, all loaded with small shot. But God prevented it.

[28:42] After another round of discussions and negotiations, Governor Andros in his party surrendered the fort that night.
He was imprisoned in a private home, and the next day he was taken back to the fort now under control of the insurrection.
Also on that second day, April 19th Andros was coerced into ordering the garrison at Castle William in Boston Harbor to surrender all the guns in the castle.
The fort and Lesser ships on the harbour were now trained on H. M s Rose.
The militia demanded that the ship surrender while Captain George balked, saying that if they surrendered, he and all his men would lose their wages.
Instead, he offered to go on board, cut down the top masts and bring the ship sails on shore.
The rebel leaders agreed, and the rose was soon rendered harmless, while its crew could still technically claim not to have surrendered.
At least one of the junior officers on board wasn’t happy about this outcome.
And you can listen to Episode 80 to learn more about how Thomas Pound went from H. M s rose to a death sentence for piracy.

[29:53] By the third day April 20th calm reigned in Boston again.
Governor Andros was now transferred to Castle William, which was now firmly commanded by the rebels.
The insurrectionists settled down and began to consider how they would govern until they learn to their fate from London.
A group that included many of the men who’d signed the demand for Andros to surrender, as well as other leading citizens of Boston and surrounding settlements got together to form a governing body,
calling themselves the Counsel for the safety of the people in conservation of the peace this group would issue. Such orders has helped the colony operate.
Day to day, however, the Massachusetts charter had been vacated, and without word from England, the council had very little formal authority.

[30:41] The lieutenant governor of the Dominion lived in New York, and he received word of the uprising in Boston. By May 1st, most of the troops under his immediate command were in Maine, fighting native forces allied with France.
So the strongest response to get immediately muster was a letter, it said in part.
We cannot imagine that any such actions can proceed from any person of quality amongst them, but rather promoted by the rabble and that for the safety of his excellence person, those measures have been taken.
But hope and doubt not before this time, the fury of those persons may be allayed and that His Excellency and the rest of the officers may be restored to their former stations or at least have liberty to come hither.

[31:26] On May 11th former governor of Simon Bradstreet and Wait, Winthrop replied,
We perceive you have not a particular account of how things are at present circumstance, with us there being no other form of government than a committee for safety, of the people in conservation of the peace, the soldiers still continuing in arms.
It is not in our power to set any persons at liberty who are confined and kept by the soldiers.

[31:51] Governor Andros, however, would try to send himself at Liberty that by field account says that sometime between April 20th and the 22nd when his letter was mailed, Andros made an attempt to escape from the castle by Field Road.
On Friday last towards evening, Sir Edmund Andrews did attempt to make an escape in woman’s apparel and past two guards and was stopped at the third being discovered by his shoes.
Not having changed, Um, it’s not clear, however, whether that accounts authentic or whether it was just attempt to defame the governor.
Whatever happened that time, we know that later in the summer, Andros would make a successful attempt to escape from the castle.
On August 2nd, he plied his guards with liquor and convinced them to look the other way while he escaped.
He made it as far as Newport before a militia party from Massachusetts caught up with him and drag him back to Boston.
This time, he be kept under close confinement for almost 10 months.
Finally, he was shipped back to England, where the charges against him were immediately dropped.
His career was untarnished by the revolt against his rule, and Sir Edmund would go on to service governor of Virginia for about six years.

[33:09] In the meantime, the people of Massachusetts tried to untangle what it meant to govern without a charter and without a governor,
as you might imagine, if someone in this position Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson was very curious about this process, and his history focuses on the decisions made in this area.
Conventions were held in Boston on May 9th and again on May 22nd with representatives from 54 towns in the province attending,
it quickly became clear that a majority of both the representatives and the mob listening outside the doors of the townhouse would prefer a return to charter rule.
However, with the charter vacated, no news to the contrary, this was seen as a legally tenuous course.
Instead of officially adopting charter rule again, the convention carefully threaded the needle on May 24th.
First, the governor of Magistrates, who’d been elected in 16 86 before the provincial government was dissolved, agreed to take on their former positions.
Then they signed a carefully worded document which promised that they would govern according to the rules of the charter.
But they did not intend, nor would be understood to intend an assumption of the charter government With this decision, Government in Massachusetts took on the form of the previous charter government, which had ruled the colony for almost 60 years,
but it wouldn’t have any of the legal authority of the charter.

[34:35] In the meantime, word of important developments was criss crossing the Atlantic.
First, a ship arrived in Boston on Me 26th carrying an important message from London, it formally proclaimed for the first time that William and Mary were jointly assuming the crown of England and Scotland.
They will be coronated. On April 11th three days after this message arrived, it was publicly announced in Boston.
There was a grand parade with the acting governor, the governor’s council, merchants and civilian and military leaders appearing on horseback and Armed Cos. Of militia marching in formation.

[35:14] Just three days after this message, another ship arrived in Boston.
This one was carrying Sir William Phips, whom I think has a legitimate claim on the title Most Interesting man in the world.
Just the previous summer, he’d arrived back in Boston after an amazing run of good luck.
In command of a treasure hunting voyage to the Caribbean. He discovered a Spanish rat carrying a King’s ransom and Silver.
That voyage secured in both a personal fortune and a knighthood, and it immediately made him a bigwig in Boston.
He had personally delivered Edward Randolph to Boston back in 16 84 when Randolph came to vacate the charter and he’d done it in command of the H. M s Rose, no less.
Then he was appointed to a government position by Governor Andrews.
However, despite his affiliation with two of the most hated figures of the Dominion years, Phips have become an ally of increasing Cotton Mather instead.
After just a few weeks at home in Boston during that summer of 16 88 Phips went off to old England toe work with Increase Mather toward restoring the right student Massachusetts.
Now you return to Boston with official word from William and Mary that Sir Edmund Andrews should be removed from the government of New England and be called into account for his maladministration,
and that the present king and queen should be proclaimed by their former Magistrates.

[36:38] About a month after Phips arrived in Boston, word of the uprising in Boston finally reached Merry old England.
Bostonians Samuel Sewall and Increase Mather were at a coffee house in Cambridge when they got the news. Cambridge, England. That ISS.
They were in the old country, advocating on behalf of the Bay Colony and against Andrews.
Mather, for his part, had been obliged to sneak out of Boston.
He was being sued by Edward Randolph for allegedly publishing a defamatory letter criticizing the crown, though Mother claim that it was actually a forgery created by Randolph himself.
With a red hanging over his head increase, Mather was forced to leave the Bay Colony as John Corrine Pelphrey said at night and in disguise.

[37:23] For over a year increase, Mather and Samuel Sewall have been asking anyone who’d listen for the old charter to be reinstated.
Eventually, they changed tactics and began pushing for a brand new charter.
In the meantime, they traveled throughout England in orderto win over as many influential people as they could.
While they’re in Cambridge. They mixed and mingled with the fellows of Emmanuel eternity.
Colleges took campus tours, and so a print shop that operated six presses After a leisurely breakfast on June 28th 16 89 Mother and Sewall went for coffee in the mid morning.
Sewall is, Diary says, while Mr Mather read the votes.
I took Thursday’s letter and read The News of Boston and then gave it to Mr Mather to read.
We were surprised with joy that change. Captain Hutchinson showed me Captain by Fields letter, which comes by to good.

[38:19] While increase Mather, Samuel Sewall and occasionally Sir William Phips were trying to get a new royal charter for the province.
The Massachusetts government was strictly on a provisional basis.
In a way, it was similar to the provincial Congress, formed in 17 74 after Thomas Gage dissolved. The provincial assembly is part of the intolerable acts.
Massachusetts Patriots formed a revolutionary shadow government that would serve until our state constitution went into effect six years later.
Like their forebears of the 16 89 Council of Safety, the provincial Congress fell back on their former colonial charter ruling under its structures and rules, despite it no longer carrying any legal ways.

[39:02] Thomas Hutchinson was governor from 17 69 to 17 74 as revolutionary zeal in Massachusetts heated up.
His take on the support that Simon Bradstreet and the others led to the 16 89 uprising reveals why Hutchinson’s temperament was never suited to the Patriot cause.
This was certainly a rash, precipitate proceeding. Little or no inconvenience could arise from a few days delay.
The revolution in England could not at any time have been affected without risk toe all the persons there who moved in it.
Their lives depended on the success of the attempt. But the fate of New England depended on that of old.
If the prince succeeded, they might have assumed the government without any hazard.
If he failed, had they remained quiet, they would have been in no worse state than before.
But the consequence of an insurrection would have been death to the principal actors, and it’s still harder slavery than before to all the rest of the inhabitants.

[40:03] William and Mary finally issued a new charter from Massachusetts in 16 91.
It combined Massachusetts Bay in Plymouth colonies into a single entity, and it broke the Puritan monopoly on political office.
This document would form the basis of our government until the 17 80 Massachusetts State Constitution took effect, and the very first governor under the charter would be our old friend Sir William Phips toe.
Learn more about the 16 89 uprising in Boston.
Check out this week’s show notes at hub history dot com slash 165 We’ll have accounts of the Insurrection by John Gorham, Pelphrey Nathaniel by Field and Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson.
We’ll also include the text of the declaration The Rebels Red at the townhouse, plus the link to Samuel Sewall is diary entry, where he learned about the revolt.
For good measure, we’ll also linked to the great champion Ah, heavily fictionalized short story about the insurrection by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
And of course, we’ll have links to information about our upcoming event and the article about privateers, this week’s Bustin Book Club.

[41:13] Before I sign off, I’d like to share a few pieces of listener feedback.
First up is a note we got from new listener Richard Ofri, who wrote this series of blood posts that we featured as the Boston Book Club pick a few weeks ago.
Hi, Jake and Nikki. I hope you’re both well, a friend of mine. Refer me to your podcasts as she heard my blood mentioned in your episode 1 50 I greatly appreciate your kind words about my Chinatown history, Siri’s and thanks very much for the mention.
I had lots of fun researching and writing the Siri’s learning plenty, and next year I likely expanded. Revised the Siri’s based on some new information I found since the series was originally published.
Cheers, Richard Ofri.

[41:55] After episode 1 62 aboutthe Robert’s case that attempted to desegregate Boston schools, Michelle S. Said.
I thought I knew about this, but the episode gave me so much more insight into its significance.
The Boston National Historic Park tweeted thanks to our friends at Hub history, who recently recorded a podcast about the struggle for equal education in Boston, which started with a little girl named Sarah Roberts and Twitterer.
I Am, Sauerkraut added, brings back memories of when I did a grad paper on this case.

[42:30] Michelet saw that we were planning to release a show about Lafayette and tweeted. Eep cannot wait. Jugador left eye.
A few hours later, she followed up with It’s So Good.
Also the Marquis Offer that Reconsidered by Laura Ratio.

[42:48] Long Story Long Listen to Episode 1 60 about the Carol over the river and through the wood and reached out to say Fun podcast and a really great lady to profile.
Do you happen to know if Grandmother’s house was ever identified? I grew up near there and heard that a particular house near the river, but not to any Woods anymore, was the one.
And apparently I learned at his grandmother’s rather than grandfathers, and I have no idea why.
My husband also confirmed he learned at his grandmother’s totally gonna look into Jingle Bells.
Lord. Now, thanks to everybody who wrote in, We Love getting listener feedback, whether you love the episode or just liked it a lot,
we’re happy to hear your episode suggestions, factual corrections and alternate sources that we missed.
If you’d like to leave us some feedback on this show or any other, you can email us at podcast in hub history dot com Were hub history on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram?
Or you can go toe hub history dot com and click on the Contact US link while you’re on this site, hit the subscribe link and be sure that you never miss an episode.
If you subscribe on Apple podcasts, please consider rating and reviewing the show.
And if you write a review, drop me a line and I’ll send you a Hub history sticker as a token of thanks.

Music

Jake:
[44:06] That’s all for now. We’ll be back next time to talk about the song. John Brown’s body.