The Spirit of 74: How the American Revolution Began

by Ray Raphael, Marie Raphael

How ordinary people went from resistance to “[A] concise, lively narrative . . . the authors expertly build tension.” ― Publishers Weekly
 
Americans know about the Boston Tea Party and “the shot heard ’round the world,” but sixteen months divided these two iconic events, a period that has nearly been lost to history.  The Spirit of ’74  fills in this gap in our nation’s founding narrative, showing how in these mislaid months, step by step, real people made a revolution.
 
After the Tea Party, Parliament not only shut down a port but also revoked the sacred Massachusetts charter. Completely disenfranchised, citizens rose up as a body and cast off British rule everywhere except in Boston, where British forces were stationed. A “Spirit of ’74” initiated the American Revolution, much as the better-known “Spirit of ’76” sparked independence. Redcoats marched on Lexington and Concord to take back a lost province, but they encountered Massachusetts militiamen who had trained for months to protect the revolution they had already made.
 
The Spirit of ’74  places our founding moment in a rich new historical context, both changing and deepening its meaning for all Americans.

Genres: History, American Revolution, American History, Nonfiction, Historical

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2015

Reviews

[Julian Douglass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice history on how the revolution started. The Raphael's do their homework and dig a little deeper into explaining the workings of the British rule of the colonies, specifically Massachusetts. Great piece to add to the literature of the beginning of the American Revolution and the early republic.

[Brian Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially concerning the events that built up to open warfare, bookended by the Boston Tea Party and the twin battle of Lexington and Concord. In addition to fairly brief accounts of those events, this study is primarily concerned with the buildup towards mobilization and response to the acts and legislation that led to open hostilities. Massachusetts centered, the authors cover regions/counties and their activities that led to the bloodshed between colonials and redcoats that marked the point of no turning back, as well as the stimulus to declare independence. I found it a bit dry or I would have ranked it a star higher. However, the precise "small scale" hostilities are accounted for here, and just over 200 pages, it isn't a taxing read. There are books on 1775 and David McCullough's superb 1776 for deeper dives into those years as well.

[Evan Þ. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This's the story of Massachusetts in 1774: how they set up their own new government and threw off British rule everywhere the British army wasn't currently standing, to the point where General Gage dared not send his troops inland to ensure British-aligned courts could meet. But, both sides tried to delay an open confrontation - Gage because he was afraid he'd lose (and still hoped London would send him more troops); the Patriots because they didn't want to be the ones to start the fighting.

This's an important story, often overlooked by most tellings of the Revolution; I'm glad these authors have told it.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful history on the backstory of the Revolution.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book covering the road to war from the Boston Tea Party to April 19, 1775. The Raphaels really know their stuff, but I already knew a lot of the basic overlay from previous study/reading. Thus I didn’t get too much out of it.

In short, in 1774, the crown appointed 36 new officials, but all of them were forced to either resign or flee to the safety of British muskets in Boston. After kicking the British out, they tried to raise an army and government on their own in the colony.

One thing predating the Tea Party is the crown started to pay officials from London. They especially got involved in the court, such as the Chief Justice in 1768. They added more judges in 1772, and got the governor and lieutenant governor in between. The Massachusetts Government Act of 1774 gave the king the power to appoint judges, justices of the peace, sheriffs, marshals, and other officers. The sheriffs, appointed by the governor, could pick jurors. The Massachusetts legislature was gutted. Only in New England had colonists themselves been involved in council appointment, but that’s now over. Town meetings were also gutted. People had fierce pride in their town meetings.

Committees of Correspondence got going, coordinating activity. The top complaint was the judges. There was boycott talk. Courts were closed down, first in Berksline. Social hierarchy was traditional, but that was taking a hit here as “social betters” were being forced to resign by the masses. Social order was upside down.. In the background, indebtnesses was on the rise. That created more mass anger.

Of the 36 named to the royal council, 24 took the oath. Though violence against them was rare, they were targets. By the end of August, when they were supposed to go to Salem, they all refused. Only in Boston was there now any royal authority. Colonists began to gather powder for guns. The Brits seized some as well. 10,000 were mobilized in the “Powder Alarm” in early fall.

Gen. Gage wanted to make a show of force in Worcester to silence everyone, but it backfired. The colonists closed the court down before the British arrived. Tories were made to publicly resign. British rule never returned to that town. So who was in charge? Massachusetts delegates gathered to form their own informal government. More courts were closed down by October. Among the patriots, moderates in the east debated rural radicals. They ruled out an offensive strike against the British in Boston. By October, they were preparing for war in Massachusetts. Artillery was placed on Boston’s neck by the British. Massachusetts’ government created a power of the purse and used it for guns. Minutemen were called to organize. An assault on Ft. William in New Hampshire arguably was the start of the war.

Gage wants the Intolerable Act suspended. He lacked the numbers to go on the offensive, believing 20,000 were needed. He tried going to Salem, but was rebuffed. News of more regiments were on their way. The militia began to seriously organize. Moderates were on the defensive now. Gage was ordered to take action. And then the war began.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this history, tracing the shift from resistance to revolution in the year between two historically celebrated events - the "Boston Tea Party" and bloodshed at Lexington and Concord - Raphael brings attention to the activities in western hinterlands of Boston. The events herein rediscovered have largely been overlooked, giving historical precedence to Boston and to the year 1776 (after the Revolution began). This work gives us another facet of understanding how civil war broke out between England and the American colonies, and restore agency to the individuals and communities of Massachusetts Western countryside, reconnecting a network that was much larger than Boston and Concord. My own caveat, Raphael completely glosses over the British spies visit to Concord, after pointedly highlighting their earlier visit to Worcester over Concord; the visit to Concord was nonetheless significant to the atmosphere and series of critical events of 1774.

[Bogash]

The last paragraph says it all:

"In quick succession, provincial militias were subsumed by a Massachusetts Army, a New England Army, and a Continental Army. Local militiamen were now soldiers fighting on behalf of the United Colonies of North America. Together with fellow New Englanders and riflemen from Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland, they would serve under a common commander, George Washington, whom the Continental Congress chose to succeed Artemas Ward.

And so began a story we know.

-----------------------
The Raphaels' book leads up to the beginning of that story showing how the revolution really began in Massachusetts in 1774 when all of the colony less Boston rejected the will of Parliament, drove out government appointed officials, and began building an army to defend themselves from the anticipated backlash. That backlash turned into a shooting war at Lexington and Concord in 1775.

Fascinating read.

[Earle Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today, on the eve of a most sordid election, I completed The Spirit of '74.
The deep dread of the soon to be open era has a mirror reflection for the residents of Massachusetts (actually add to that the other New England holdings so tightly United to those in Massachusetts) in 1774.
This stimulating book is clearly my favorite read for clearing away the fog between the reader and the living beings facing a future with no comforting path in 1774.
I will say little more. The book is at once authentically revealing and ethically validated. I felt captured as if I read a fictional account of a desperate moment.
Finally, as the authors testify,"When local people,,,,,, they triggered a chain of events that extended even beyond,,,,,".
We shall see how "local people" will shepherd this grand experiment after November the 8th, 2016.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent look at the conditions leading up to and after the Boston Tea Party and Concord and Lexington that prompted the Massachusetts colony to defy the King. The Act that revoked the colony's charter and changed the way they had always run things - making almost all officials answerable only to the King instead of the inhabitants they served was the main thing. Although the other retributive acts added fuel to the fire. Quite an interesting bit of history not often given deep study in histories of the revolution.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting account of how the British totally lost control of all of Massachusetts outside of Boston in 1774. The colonists threw out all British officials and taxed themselves to arm and provision a militia. This militia was ready in Lexington and Concord when the British marched out of Boston to try to seize the arms and provisions stored in Concord, leading to "the shot heard round the world".

[Dave E · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a little dry initially, but perhaps necessarily so, to lay the groundwork for the remaining events. The pace did pick up quite a bit though as events unfolded. Overall it wound up being a very good read. It was very enlightening about how and why the the residents of Massachusetts wound up initiating the uprising against British rule, something not covered so well in most other books about the Revolution.

[Rahobeth Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good look into the mechanations that helped colonial Massachusetts Bay respond to the threats of recently enacted laws by Parliament. The militia turnout at Lexington and Concord was not spontaneous. It was the result of the groundwork that began soon after Gage attempted to implement the Government Act.

Very well written.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe good for someone who didn't read their history book but it is the same old same old story we read in grade school

[Bob Jarcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why wan't this amount of detail about the beginnings of the American Revolution taught? Great book. Must read to better understand what lead up to the Lexington.