Chapter 1 Summary

The push towards independence began with the writings of one Sam Adams during the 1760's. Radical to say the least, Adams began stirring the pot as a writer for the Boston Gazette. Through hundreds of essays and news articles that were reprinted throughout the colonies, the sensational voice of Adams could be heard far and wide. His dissatisfaction began with the unfair taxes that were imposed upon the colonists by British Parliament. Adams put in to question the liberty of the colonists, with the first thoughts of having a self imposed government with the power to make its own laws.

Adams started the "Journal of Occurrences" as another way to spread his anti-British ideas throughout the colonies. The motivation behind this service was the large number of British troops who were stationed in Boston at the time. The main purpose of the journal was to build up an anti-British sentiment in the colonists. Adams would make outrageous claims against the troops, saying that they raped women and beat men, even though most of the events written about were not true. The journal did its job magnificently, and within a year the troops who were stationed in Boston were withdrawn, and the colonists had new levels of resentment towards the British.

On March 5th, 1770, a few young colonists provoked a group of British soldiers who were left in Boston to act as guards. Shots were fired by the soldiers, accidentally or not, and things escalated to the point that five colonists were killed. Theses events, known as the Boston Massacre, sparked outrage in the city, and once more led by Sam Adams, the news was written about painting the British soldiers in a negative light.

Thomas Paine was the final voice needed to inspire the colonists to rise up against the British. His essay Common Sense spoke about not only the rights colonists were entitled to as British subjects, but the inalienable rights that they were entitled to as humans. Paine spoke about complete independence from British rule, something that even the most radical writers before him chose not to mention. The essay was written so that it could be understood by the masses, and as a result had a widespread effect on all the colonies, and on all social classes. Common Sense wasn't the "be all end all" behind the American Revolution, but there is no question as to the significant impact it had in the final push towards independence.

Believe it or not, Paine wasn't done after writing Common Sense. After seeing his dispirited troops fall to the might of the British army, general George Washington requested that Paine write words that would motivate his men to continue fighting under such tough circumstances. Paine responded with the Crisis essays. There were twelve essays published in total, with each seeing large circulation as a means to inspire the colonists. The first essay was read to general Washington's disheartened and suffering troops, and a week later they won a critical battle at Trenton.

Rarely does the press get the recognition for spurring on the Revolution, but as shown above the impact was truly great. From the early thoughts of unfair British rule, to the motivation of American troops, the press, lead by a few key voices, was one of the most important contributors towards our nation gaining its independence.