The father of the revolution. (American History Play).Ascrawny man with trembling hands, Sam Adams Adams, town (1990 pop. 9,445), Berkshire co., NW Mass., in the Berkshires, on the Hoosic River; inc. 1778. Its manufactures include chemicals, textiles, and paper products. The Berkshire region attracts tourists year-round. A Society of Friends meeting house (built 1782) is the site of annual Quaker meetings. Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams. didn't look heroic. But when American colonists became angry over British rule, Adams took up their Adams took up their cause. With his brilliant speeches and smart political moves, Adams played a leading role in the American Revoltuion. The Father of the revolution. (American History Play) SCENE 1 Boston, Massachusetts NARRATOR A: In 1767, the British Parliament passes the Townshend Acts Townshend Acts, 1767, originated by Charles Townshend and passed by the English Parliament shortly after the repeal of the Stamp Act. They were designed to collect revenue from the colonists in America by putting customs duties on imports of glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. The colonials, spurred on by the writings of John Dickinson, Samuel Adams, and others, protested against the taxes., which impose new taxes on the American Colonies. Opposition among the colonists grows, especially in Boston. One Saturday afternoon at the Green Dragon Tavern... JAMES OTIS: Sam, what do you think of the Townshend Acts? Should we pay a tax to Britain on goods shipped from England? SAM ADAMS: King George gave us the right to live in peace and prosperity [wealth]. Now, he breaks his promise with these taxes. MERCHANT: Who is speaking against the King? Sam Adams, the brewer? FARMER: He's the worst businessman in town. Just look at that threadbare [worn-out] red suit he's wearing. MERCHANT: He can't even afford a horse! BARTENDER: Adams may not look like much, but he's a powerful speaker. Let's listen. SAM ADAMS: If we are taxed, without legal representation in Britain, we are no longer free men. We are slaves! OTIS: That's right: No taxation without representation! MERCHANT: What a squeaky voice Adams has. FARMER: And his hands flap like birds' wings when he speaks. BARTENDER: But his words are like cannonballs! They'll sink any British ship that gets in the way. SCENE 2 NARRATOR B: The British Parliament revokes the Townshend taxes--except for the tax on tea. But Britain infuriates the colonists even more by sending troops to Boston. On March 5, 1770, a group of rowdy men and boys throw snowballs at British soldiers on a Boston street. Fighting breaks out, and the soldiers fire into the crowd. The next day, Sam Adams calls an emergency town meeting. SAM ADAMS: There was a terrible massacre [murder] yesterday. British soldiers slaughtered five innocent men. JOHN HANCOCK: They shot and killed young Samuel Maverick. The boy was only 17! SAM ADAMS: It isn't enough for the British to tax us. Now the Redcoats [British soldiers] want our blood! HANCOCK: We have to do something before it's too late. SAM ADAMS: British troops must leave Boston. They are a danger to all of us. NARRATOR B: The men rush across the street and confront Thomas Hutchinson, the royal Governor of Massachusetts. SAM ADAMS: Governor, you are the King's representative. You must remove all of his troops from our streets. THOMAS HUTCHINSON: I can't remove the soldiers. And I won't! SAM ADAMS: Three thousand people are at the meeting across the street. They demand that the troops leave. HUTCHINSON: I might be able to remove one regiment. SAM ADAMS: No, all troops must go--or 10,000 colonists will march on Boston and do the job. HUTCHINSON: Let's compromise. I'll move the troops out of town. But you must call off your march. SCENE 3 NARRATOR C: Three years pass. During that time, many colonists have grown to hate the British even more. On a frigid [cold] December night in 1773, a crowd gathers in Boston's Old South Meeting-House. PAUL REVERE: There are three ships in the harbor, filled with English tea. If that tea is unloaded and sold, we will have to pay taxes on it--taxes that will go to the King. SAM ADAMS: The Governor will not send the ships back. REVERE: We must make sure the tea never reaches shore. MAN IN CROWD: Are you saying we should destroy the tea? Isn't that rebellion? SAM ADAMS: If we let the British tax our tea, they will soon tax us to death. Rebellion is the only choice. MAN IN CROWD: What's that noise outside? Look, Mohawks! WOMAN IN CROWD: Boston Harbor will be a teapot tonight! NARRATOR C: A group of men, some dressed as Mohawk Indians, storm the British ships. For the next three hours they dump 340 chests of tea--about 90,000 pounds--into the harbor. British officials are enraged. To teach the colonists a lesson, Parliament passes laws that become known as the Intolerable Acts Intolerable Acts, name given by American patriots to five laws (including the Quebec Act) adopted by Parliament in 1774, which limited the political and geographical freedom of the colonists. Four of these laws were passed to punish the people of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Port Bill closed the port until such time as the East India Company should be paid for the tea destroyed.. The harshest law closes Boston Harbor to trade. SCENE 4 April 17, 1775 NARRATOR D: The closing of Boston Harbor is a huge blow to the colonists. But the British aren't finished yet. King George appoints Thomas Gage, commander in chief of the British Army in North America, as the new Governor of Massachusetts. THOMAS GAGE: This troublemaking must stop. We will confiscate [take] the colonists' rifles and gunpowder--and arrest their leaders. LORD PERCY: Now's the time to attack. The colonists have arms and ammunition stored in Concord. Sam Adams and John Hancock are nearby, in Lexington. If we send troops to seize the colonists' guns, we may get lucky and capture Adams and Hancock, too! GAGE: Perfect! Have 500 troops ready to march tonight. But keep it secret. We'll crush the rebels once and for all! NARRATOR D: American patriots spot the British soldiers leaving Boston. Two patriots borrow horses and ride to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. The first rider, Paul Revere, arrives at midnight. MINUTEMAN: You there, don't make so much noise. Important men are asleep in this house. REVERE: Noise? You'll have enough noise before long. The British are coming! NARRATOR D: Hancock awakens. HANCOCK: What's that? The British? REVERE: Yes. They're on the march. And they're coming to Lexington. SAM ADAMS: Have you told anyone else about this? REVERE: I woke every Minuteman along the way and told them to come to Lexington. Now, you both must leave quickly if you don't want to be captured. HANCOCK: My place is here, on the firing line. SAM ADAMS: This battle is for soldiers, not politicians like us. We must leave and find safety. NARRATOR D: Adams and Hancock leave Lexington before dawn. As they flee, fighting breaks out between Minutemen and British Redcoats on the village green. SAM ADAMS: What a glorious [beautiful] morning this is! HANCOCK: Do you mean the weather? SAM ADAMS: No, this is our first battle for independence! SCENE 5 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 1776 NARRATOR E: Delegates from all 13 Colonies meet at the Second Continental Congress Continental Congress, 1774–89, federal legislature of the Thirteen Colonies and later of the United States in the American Revolution and under the Articles of Confederation (see Confederation, Articles of). First Continental CongressIndignation against England's colonial policy reached fever pitch in the colonies after the passage (1774) of the Intolerable Acts, and the Sons of Liberty and the committees of correspondence promoted to discuss what seems like an unavoidable war with Britain. Some delegates want war. Others are scared of such a fight. SAM ADAMS: Since Britain started this war, we can no longer think of ourselves as British Colonies. We are now free states, fighting for our lives. JOHN DICKINSON: But the English are our allies--more than that, our brothers! BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: We are not Englishmen anymore. We are Americans now, and we must build a new nation. JOHN ADAMS: The people of every Colony must set up their own governments, under their own authority. RICHARD HENRY LEE: I wish to introduce this resolution: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states! NARRATOR E: The Congress appoints a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The task falls to Thomas Jefferson. Weeks later... SAM ADAMS: Jefferson has written a splendid declaration of our independence. Listen to these words: "All men are created equal... endowed with certain unalienable [incapable of being surrendered] rights... among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." HANCOCK: We must all sign, to strengthen our union. FRANKLIN: If we don't hang together, we will surely hang separately! NARRATOR E: Fifty-six delegates sign the Declaration of Independence. The 13 Colonies are now officially the 13 United States--and at war! EPILOGUE In 1781, the Americans surprise the world and defeat the British Army. The former Colonies are now free and independent states. Because of his selfless efforts to stir up resistance against Britain, Sam Adams became known as the "father of the revolution." When Sam died in 1803, John Adams, then the second President of the United States, said, "Without him, in my opinion, American independence could not have been declared in 1776." RELATED ARTICLE: Characters Narrators A-E Sam Adams, politician James Otis, lawyer, Sam Adams's friend John Hancock politician John Adams, politician, Sam Adams's cousin Thomas Hutchinson, Governor of Massachusetts Paul Revere, silversmith Thomas Gage, commander of the British Army in North America Lord Percy second in command of the British Army John Dickinson, delegate from Pennsylvania to the Second Continental Congress Benjamin Franklin, delegate from Pennsylvania Richard Henry Lee, delegate from Virginia * Merchant * Farmer * Bartender * Man in crowd * Woman in crowd * Minuteman (American soldier) * Starred characters are fictitious. Your Turn WORD MATCH 1. threadbare A. take 2. massacre B. wealth 3. prosperity C. worn-out 4. confiscate D. murder 5. unalienable E. cannot be surrendered THINK OUT The Declaration of Independence says that all Americans are entitled to "certain unalienable rights." What rights do you think every person should have? |
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