Today, of course, is 19 April 2025. On Wednesday, 19 April 1775, in the British colony, the Province of Massachusetts Bay, several small groups of farmers, tradesmen (and probably ne’er-do-wells) stood up to and fought several units of British regulars. Troops sent out from Boston to seize weapons and ammunition from a depot or armory in Concord. Their orders to do so stemmed from fears that the supplies would be used to aid the growing rebellion in Boston and elsewhere.
Rebellion was a real possibility: it had happened before in the volatile heart of New England, and after its old government rejected King Charles back in 1691, it had been converted into what would later be labeled a Crown Colony. Various actions of Parliament (in a time when both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were in power), enforced by the King and British Army and Royal Navy operations, had led to unrest and violence.
The unrest was spreading. Eight months before (September-October of 1774), the first Continental Congress had met to address the growing problems, most going back to what American colonists called the French and Indian War, part of the Seven Years’ War, a global conflict across five continents.
Although both the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre had taken place, 19 April 1775 is considered the start of the American War of Independence. Independence was not the initial goal, which leads many to call it just the American Revolution. But it grew into a war of secession from the Crown of Great Britain and Ireland, and the entire British Empire.
Of course, today, after 165 years (1861-2025) of unrelenting propaganda denigrating secession as evil, the secession aspect is rarely broached, and more and more people condemn it.
(In a humorous aside, since Elizabeth died and Charles III took the throne, even after Trump got into office again, we’ve not seen or heard anyone demanding that the House of Windsor “take back” the United States. I guess even the most never-Trumpers and Transnational Regressives have their limits. Hard as it is to believe.)
Boston in 1775 is often described as a hotbed of rebellion and desire for liberty. While there were many who did support what became the American cause, at the time they were still a minority in the city. Most at least tacitly supported the British. Otherwise, the Brits would have had to abandon the city sooner than they did (March of 1776 – almost a year later).
Today, to put it bluntly, a majority of Bostonians and Massachusetts citizens (Bay Staters) again do not support liberty, freedom, or rebellion against government edicts. (Just rebellion against The Donald.) And indeed, today virtually all Bay Staters have been disarmed by their State government – together with a great deal of FedGov aid. Are we wrong to suspect that a majority of Bay State voters would actually prefer the modern House of Commons – and even the British Parliament of 1775, to the present US Congress?
Although we’ve not read anything, we here at TPOL suspect that there are many in Massachusetts would would be pleased at these scenes.
Note that the regimes that have controlled Massachusetts for decades have and continue to violate their own constitution (Part I, Article XVII) about keeping and bearing arms. The State even requires that anyone who is actually allowed to carry a weapon must have a State-issued permit to do so: a law the British garrison in 1775 would have welcomed! And the mass of laws, regulations, interpretations, and enforcement actions in every aspect of life demonstrate that what may have once been a “hotbed of liberty” has become an increasingly tyrannical State. You name it: business licenses, building licenses, permission to own this or prohibitions to own that: every waking moment of those who live in the State is constantly restricted and controlled by some State government agency.
But of course, the Bay State (some call it the “Pay State” for the fees and taxes) is far from the only tyrannical state of the Fifty. Cato Institute, we understand, ranks Massachusetts as just the 9th worst of the Fifty States when it comes to personal liberties. This is highlighted, again with gun laws. A legal battle (Escher v. Mason) is challenging one of the latest totalitarian enactments: House Bill 4885. That law strips the God-given right to keep (own) and bear (carry) firearms from 18-20 year old people in the State – including anyone visiting or traveling through the place.
Publisher’s note: The above images were created using various AI programs, as an experiment. Fun but a bit weird, no? Give us your thoughts. Should we use such graphics more or stick to our usual practice?
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.
The Price of Liberty 
The shot heard ’round the world – a quarter-millenium ago
Today, of course, is 19 April 2025. On Wednesday, 19 April 1775, in the British colony, the Province of Massachusetts Bay, several small groups of farmers, tradesmen (and probably ne’er-do-wells) stood up to and fought several units of British regulars. Troops sent out from Boston to seize weapons and ammunition from a depot or armory in Concord. Their orders to do so stemmed from fears that the supplies would be used to aid the growing rebellion in Boston and elsewhere.
Rebellion was a real possibility: it had happened before in the volatile heart of New England, and after its old government rejected King Charles back in 1691, it had been converted into what would later be labeled a Crown Colony. Various actions of Parliament (in a time when both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were in power), enforced by the King and British Army and Royal Navy operations, had led to unrest and violence.
The unrest was spreading. Eight months before (September-October of 1774), the first Continental Congress had met to address the growing problems, most going back to what American colonists called the French and Indian War, part of the Seven Years’ War, a global conflict across five continents.
Although both the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre had taken place, 19 April 1775 is considered the start of the American War of Independence. Independence was not the initial goal, which leads many to call it just the American Revolution. But it grew into a war of secession from the Crown of Great Britain and Ireland, and the entire British Empire.
Of course, today, after 165 years (1861-2025) of unrelenting propaganda denigrating secession as evil, the secession aspect is rarely broached, and more and more people condemn it.
(In a humorous aside, since Elizabeth died and Charles III took the throne, even after Trump got into office again, we’ve not seen or heard anyone demanding that the House of Windsor “take back” the United States. I guess even the most never-Trumpers and Transnational Regressives have their limits. Hard as it is to believe.)
Boston in 1775 is often described as a hotbed of rebellion and desire for liberty. While there were many who did support what became the American cause, at the time they were still a minority in the city. Most at least tacitly supported the British. Otherwise, the Brits would have had to abandon the city sooner than they did (March of 1776 – almost a year later).
Today, to put it bluntly, a majority of Bostonians and Massachusetts citizens (Bay Staters) again do not support liberty, freedom, or rebellion against government edicts. (Just rebellion against The Donald.) And indeed, today virtually all Bay Staters have been disarmed by their State government – together with a great deal of FedGov aid. Are we wrong to suspect that a majority of Bay State voters would actually prefer the modern House of Commons – and even the British Parliament of 1775, to the present US Congress?
Although we’ve not read anything, we here at TPOL suspect that there are many in Massachusetts would would be pleased at these scenes.
Note that the regimes that have controlled Massachusetts for decades have and continue to violate their own constitution (Part I, Article XVII) about keeping and bearing arms. The State even requires that anyone who is actually allowed to carry a weapon must have a State-issued permit to do so: a law the British garrison in 1775 would have welcomed! And the mass of laws, regulations, interpretations, and enforcement actions in every aspect of life demonstrate that what may have once been a “hotbed of liberty” has become an increasingly tyrannical State. You name it: business licenses, building licenses, permission to own this or prohibitions to own that: every waking moment of those who live in the State is constantly restricted and controlled by some State government agency.
But of course, the Bay State (some call it the “Pay State” for the fees and taxes) is far from the only tyrannical state of the Fifty. Cato Institute, we understand, ranks Massachusetts as just the 9th worst of the Fifty States when it comes to personal liberties. This is highlighted, again with gun laws. A legal battle (Escher v. Mason) is challenging one of the latest totalitarian enactments: House Bill 4885. That law strips the God-given right to keep (own) and bear (carry) firearms from 18-20 year old people in the State – including anyone visiting or traveling through the place.
Publisher’s note: The above images were created using various AI programs, as an experiment. Fun but a bit weird, no? Give us your thoughts. Should we use such graphics more or stick to our usual practice?
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About TPOL Nathan
Follower of Christ Jesus (a christian), Pahasapan (resident of the Black Hills), Westerner, Lover of Liberty, Free-Market Anarchist, Engineer, Army Officer, Husband, Father, Historian, Writer, Evangelist. Successor to Lady Susan (Mama Liberty) at TPOL.