NOTE: Transcripts are reproduced by means of electronic transcription. Accuracy is not guaranteed.

Bill Mick

And it’s our three of our Tuesday morning Dave Bowman along with us and in this hour, every Tuesday. It’s Dave, does history on Bill, Mick Live headlining, Bill Mick dot com today we don’t talk anymore. We were living there for the first couple of hours and then took it into violence as talk tends to do and apparently in our history it has done that a good bit. We get to that. The links for you on that show page today. To Dave Bowman, the Dave Bowman show, Dave does history and what the what all the work days does, and the McPherson Financial Group bringing you this hour of the program, Dave, it’s our Liberty 250 series where we going today.

Dave Bowman

When we left you, the sons of of Liberty had organized themselves and. We’re beginning to. Rabble rows, I guess is the best way to put it. We had this discussion about violence and politics and how this works and and I. Think that we stop for.

Bill Mick

A week, to be honest. Yeah. Yeah.

Dave Bowman

I think the big difference is. The violence in the in the Sons of Liberty is less. I I don’t want to say destructive. It’s not. It’s just not, you know, this this random, we’re just going to burn stuff down. It’s directed, it’s intentional. And it’s aimed at specific targets, particularly tax stamp collectors and likes of that. The Stamp Act doesn’t last long. The British start realizing that, well, this is a problem, and of course the British merchants. Are upset because the Americans are canceling orders of things from Britain that they would have bought that otherwise would have had these dams. And so there’s this, this economic blowback. In parliament. The problem, bill, of course, is that. These taxes aren’t. They’re not overwhelming. I mean, that’s the hard part to get people to understand these taxes aren’t something that’s going to cause people to go broke. They’re not going to be spending 30 to 40% of their their income. On these taxes. The problem is if they’re permitted to stand. Where does this end? Where does this go? And. That mindset is starting to permeate the American colonies. If, if we permit them to do this to us this time. What will they do next, ha. And it isn’t long before Parliament enacting, with what are known as the Townsend, Acts in 1767, start to say, well, OK, we didn’t, we’re not gonna tax paper, but instead we’re gonna tax paint lead. Ohh. And tea. We’re going to tax tea. Because and this is where things start to get really. Grinding now. Parliament. Wants to remind not just the American colonies, but the entirety of the British Empire that we’re in charge. We are the only body that can make laws. We are the only we don’t care about your colonial assemblies, and in fact they will right this this incredible statement. When they repeal the Stamp Act about how all of you colonies.

Speaker 3

Are of right.

Dave Bowman

And ought to be subject interesting words to choose. To the British parliament. And we decide what you get to do, not you. And boy, does that kind of set things off. And as these Townsend act goes into goes into. To in effect. Sorry, there’s. There’s some real resistance to this in Boston. And the Sons of Liberty start protesting. They start. Burning effigies, more effigies, they start having mock funerals for for British officials and for tax acts, and that sort of thing. They get their point across and it gets to the point where the British decide. You know, really the only way to. To calm this down. This is this is British thesis traditional. British thinking bill. The only way to calm things down. Is to send in the troops. And so they pull 2 regiments off of duty on the American frontier, where they’re guarding against the Indians and their uprisings. And they send 2 regiments 2 full regiments, the 14th and the 29th. To Boston. And the idea here is while these tropes. They’ll calm things down, right? Because that always works.

Bill Mick

And we’ll see how it plays. Out in just a minute on WMB. So. So we send the troops in Dave and all of a sudden things are just fine. There are no problems.

Dave Bowman

At all, right. That’s that’s the way it always works, right? Of course, it just increases tensions and of course one of the things that they do, Bill, is they quarter the troops in Boston. They forced the troops to be quartered amongst people’s houses. You will give up your space. You will give up your time. You will give up your your property. To us and. We will have troops in your home. Watching what you’re doing. And the idea here, of course, is intimidation. It is control and it is infuriating to Bostonians. Now the interesting thing here is, is that one of these units. Actually gets along really well with the Bostonians they they’re not necessarily welcomed in the sense of open arms, but they they are respectful in people’s homes, and they’re they’re they’re invited to parties and that sort of thing. The other one not so much. And as time goes by. Tensions are going to grow. In the city of Boston. As more and more of this. Sons of Liberty resistance continues to grow. More and more people are having to choose sides. We’ve talked in the past about 1/3 of the the country is is Patriot, 1/3 is loyalist and a third just doesn’t care. In Boston, it’s not quite that third, third, third. It’s more on the lines of 7525. But those 25% who are remaining loyal. Are pretty vocal about it. They’re pretty. Intense about it. And as the resistance to some of these taxes becomes more intense, the Sons of Liberty and the American merchants start boycotting British goods. But the Loyalists and their business. They don’t necessarily do that. And so the Sons of Liberty go around. To through these. Loyalist businesses and they put signs on their doors and on their windows that say, you know, don’t do business with this guy, he’s. A loyalist. Boycott him. One of these businesses. Gets upset about this sign. And on February 22nd, 1770. The business owner goes outside and tears the sign down. He’s not gonna put up with this. You’re not gonna. You’re not gonna intimidate me sort of thing. And outside his place of business there. Or a group of. Well, has been, he would have said youths. And these youths are. Harassing. Him. That’s what they’re doing. They’re just teasing him. They’re they’re insulting him. They’re being mean to him. They’re they’re they’re heckling him. For being a loyalist. And being willing to deal. With the king and parliament. In one of the. I guess it’s it’s a typical thing in history, I guess it’s. One of those sad things. This business owner, who has not been hit by anything, he’s not been assaulted, he’s not been hurt in any way. Physically. Just snaps. He’s had enough. He goes back inside and he comes. Out with a gun. And in the. Ensuing milay, he manages to kill a 12 year old boy who was either in the mob or part of the. Mob it’s not really clear. Kid by the name of Christopher Seider. Christopher Seider doesn’t die instantly. Shot in the chest. And he’s taken. To the home, the office of Doctor Joseph Warren. Who was a member of the Sons of Liberty and one of the leading Bostonians, and one of the leading people. Who’s going to? Really, Dr. revolutionary fervor. In fact, he will be a part of the Battle of Bunker Hill a year from now. He there is. He can’t save. And the boy died. And this stuns Boston. Now we’ve got violence. Now we’ve got a 12 year old kid killed. And this, of course is turned into a. Political advantage by the Sons of Liberty becomes political theater. Never let a good crisis go to waste, bill. 2000 Bostonians in a city of just 15,000 people, 2000 of them will show up to March in his funeral. They will. Church bells will ring. Eulogies will be full of rhetoric about tyranny and blood sacrifice. And Sam Adams, of course, is in his. Element. He has the first martyr to the revolution. It’s a symbol of British brutality and useful youthful innocence. And most importantly, Imperial arrogance and this. Will not be allowed to stand. But the snows? Are starting to fall in Boston. As things heat.

Speaker

Up.

Bill Mick

And we’ll see where it all takes us, as Dave does. History continues in moments on Bill make live, our hour being brought to you by the McPherson Financial Group, you’re going to follow us on Instagram. You. Can do it at. WMB radio. Hey, do me a favor while you got a minute, make sure you set WMB as your number one preset on that iHeartRadio app. So many people I have. Thank you. We appreciate that. And we’re back. In moments with more.

Speaker 4

This is Dave. Does history on Bill Mick Live?

Bill Mick

The McPherson Financial Group bringing you the hour. Thanks for spending your time with us here on 92.7 FM, W WMMB or Bill mick.com. Wherever you’re finding us and glad that you are Dave, we’ve got things stirring up in Boston. It it kind of fits the theme of the day. Language to action, to violence. The more.

Dave Bowman

Less than two weeks after Christopher Seider is killed. It’s 9:00 PM on a very cold March evening. March 5th, as a matter of fact. And a young man by the name of. Edward Garrick. He’s just 16 years old, bill. Which again a 16 year old in 1770 is a little bit different than a. 16 year old today but. He’s an apprentice. He’s already got a job, but he’s. A young man. And he’s out walking around the streets of Boston. And he strolls past the Customs House, which is located on. King Street in. Boston. There he sees. A British private by the name of Hugh White. He’s one of the British centuries that’s been stationed there. And he starts heckling private white. He actually accuses private white of. Stiffing the Barber on his haircut belt. You know that’s an insult. In 1770, you didn’t. Pay your barber’s bill. White doesn’t take this very well. He. Turns the words become very sharp. And he takes the rifle. That he’s carrying the the musket. And he uses the bud into the musket to kind of strike Garret. With his musket just kind of. Hit him. Go away. That little action, that little move? Does what British tax policy hasn’t been able to do yet? It turns into a crowd. Passerbys stop to see what’s going on. People start whispering. You start talking about the city is already on edge, and now you’ve got a British soldier hitting. AA16 year old boy. Bells start ringing in the city and normally this is a city that signal that a fire has broken out. But this time. It’s not a fire. People come pouring out of the Taverns and the side streets, they come running to the customs. House where the. Private now stands with his back against the wall. He’s alone. He’s completely outnumbered. And he has a hostile crowd.

Bill Mick

Screaming at him.

Dave Bowman

For daring to hit this young man with. His rifle ****. Someone runs to the British century house. There he gets Captain Thomas Preston. He marches in with seven soldiers. Seven more. They’ve got loaded muskets. They’ve got bayonets fixed and he puts them in a defensive line in front of private white. Behind them are the stone walls of the customs house. And in front of them was this angry British mob that has seen too many taxes, too many red coats. And a couple of weeks ago, too much blood. In the snow. The heckling continues to grow. Someone in the crowd throws a snowball. Then snowballs aren’t quite as effective as ice chunks. They start throwing ice chunks at the British solar they start throwing clubs, and because it’s Boston Bill, they throw oyster shells. And even chunks of firewood. The soldiers shoulder to shoulder. Eyes are darting. I mean, these are young men too. Their hearts are pounding and eventually one of them, a guy by the name of Private Hugh Montgomery, gets hit hard enough by some of this ice and oyster shells. It knocks him down. He gets up. He shouts. And he pulls the trigger. And that first musket ball fired. Triggers A chaotic volley from the British soldiers. And when all is said and done. The American Revolution has, for all real intents and purposes. Begun.

Bill Mick

So Dave, we got basically the first shot of the revolution going on here.

Dave Bowman

In many ways, many people consider this to be the opening volley of the American Revolution. In some ways it’s not, but the point is that five men are now dead in the streets of Boston. 5 civilians have been killed by the soldiers in the streets of Boston. Among them, Christmas akis attacks, he is considered to be the first. Martyr, as it will of the American Revolution, he is a black man. He is a sailor. He’s all there’s we could spend hours talking about Christmas at this, but he is considered by most to be the first martyr of the revolution. Captain Preston is desperately trying to get a hold of his man. He’s trying to rein all this in. He’s trying to get control of things. But with five dead. It’s a problem. The Crown the British will later refer to this as a riot. Of course, Boston will call this a massacre. Paul Revere everybody knows that name because Paul Revere is going to ride through the night in a couple of years. But for now, Paul Revere is a silversmith. And because. Art is different in this era. He’s using his silversmithing skills to create images of the Boston massacre, which are widely propagated throughout the colonies, and actually throughout the world. Showing these, these British troops just mowing down Americans without any concern whatsoever. It’s very effective. Propaganda, even to this day. We call it the Boston massacre. We don’t call it the Boston riot. It showed peaceful colonists, you know, just doing their peaceful thing at 9:00 at night. And this organized British attack. The British accounts of the of the incident are essentially played down. And there is this growing tension. These people murdered American colonials in the streets. They are, for all practical purposes, the British government. I mean, they’re your troops. You put them here. You. You did this. The problem is, bill. Like most of history, is this really what happened? The Sons of Liberty are are are trying desperately as they did with with Christopher Seider to turn this into a political event. And they are succeeding in many ways. They’re in convincing the public that the British have. Have done this and the British are are evil and can’t be trusted and this is this is hither they’ve come this far. What will they do next? They’re shooting us down in the streets now. Will they start shooting? Us down in our homes. The propaganda element is working through. All of this. But there’s one member of the Sons of Liberty. Who’s looking at this differently? John Adams? Yes, that John Adams. Is very concerned because. He wants to maintain the moral high ground. He knows that this was just a riot. He knows that this was the crowd, really. Harassing these troops and causing this to happen. And he is going to stand up and say, look, we have to do what’s right because by doing what’s right. What do the scriptures say? It’s like pouring coals on the head of your enemy. If we handle this correctly, put these guys on trial properly and make sure that. We follow our own law. It’ll look even worse. For the crowd, I guess if you want to look. At it that way, but more importantly. Will do the right thing. And John Adams agrees to be their defense attorney. He’s going to be criticized for.

Speaker

It.

Dave Bowman

But he will say later. It’s one of the things that he. Is most proud of.

Bill Mick

And we get into that part of the story when Dave does, history continues in moments. It’s also our segment where if you want to weigh in, we let you do it at 321-768-1244, get us up on the talk. Feature we’re back in a moment.

Speaker 4

Call Bill now 321-768-1240.

Bill Mick

The McPherson Financial Group, bringing our final hour of a Tuesday morning together, and if it’s that, it’s Dave. Does history. And in our final segment we’ll take your thoughts and comments on the history Daves bringing to us today, which is the Boston massacre in the aftermath of that, we’re getting ready to jump into the trial where we. Going they see, even though even more the.

Speaker

Who calls it?

Dave Bowman

Boston, mass. True, that’s true, because that’s what’s entered our lexicon. That’s how. We think of it even though. It might not have actually been. John Adams. Who, as a founding father. Is one of our one of our leading founding fathers. He is not necessarily known to be a member of the Sons of Liberty, but he’s closely working with Sam Adams. He is absolutely insistent. That these soldiers have to be tried in civilian court, they can’t be sent to a military tribunal under the British government. They have to be tried by civilians because this is this is important that we show. The the principles for which we are actually. Fighting. Arguing for. He is committed to. The rule of law over mob violence. And the Sons of Liberty. Sort of understand this. They don’t necessarily like it, but they understand the principle that is involved here. Now John Adams will be roundly criticized for much of this. But again, he will. He will be proud of the fact to the day he dies and the fact that he stood up for what he saw as the rule of law. There are actually 2 trials here, one for the captain and one for the other eight soldiers. So Preston will go on trial by himself. The other eight soldiers will go on trial by themselves. It’s overseen by a panel of three judges. Bill, the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court and associate justice. And a guy who happens to be another associate justice, but he is a loyalist. And he will be loyal to the Crown and even throughout the Revolutionary War. Now these are respected colonial judges. They are appointed under the Crown’s authority. And they are still functioning within the colonial legal system, but they are judges of the crown. They’re going to try to maintain order and they’re going to try to keep, you know, tensions from inflaming any further. Both of these trials are going to have local juries, but not from Boston. Just like today, there’s this idea of a fair, you know, jury, a tainted jury, and Adams knows that if he allows a Boston jury to be impaneled. It doesn’t matter what the facts are. It doesn’t matter what really happened. A Boston jury is going to convict all of these people and. That’s not what he.

Speaker

Needs.

Dave Bowman

So he actually gets a country jury from people outside of Boston to come in and hear. Serve as the serves as a jury. Hear the trial and serve as the jury. Long story short, because we don’t have time to go through the whole thing, remember all history. Is. Editorial the trials are conducted. 6 of the soldiers are going to be acquitted, 2 will be convicted of manslaughter and the penalty for being so as they get branded on. The thumb. They get a branch. That they. You know, committed the sack. This belief that Adams had injustice, even for unpopular clients. Is not just lasting pride for him. I think in many ways. It’s lasting pride for us as Americans, even though we still call it the Boston massacre. Almost Sebastian massacre, even though we still think of it. In those terms. Even though our images of the Boston massacre are still those that are propagated by. By Paul Revere and others. We still understand, even if we don’t necessarily know it. That. The right thing was done in the end that the trial was held under civilian, that the penalties, while unusual to us, perhaps cruel and unusual to us, were not considered that in that era. And the white. Of the of the law was upheld. This massacre, however, enters the lexicon and it becomes. A focal point for. Resistance. It becomes this. This belief then. That the British Crown and again the fear was if we allow them to tax US, where will they stop? And the mindset now becomes, and most Americans will, where they’ll stop is shooting us down in. The streets. And we can’t have that. We have to have. We have to have our own country. We have to have our own government. We have to be. Not subject to Parliament. In England. There’s a great deal of outrage over this how dare the colonials not just harass our troops into this, but then dare to put them on trial and dare to convict 2 of them? Even though the sentence was. Again, probably not all that severe. But. For once, smarter minds prevail. And the troops were temporarily at least removed from Boston. They’re taken out and. Most of the Townsend acts that caused much of this tension are repeal. There’s they repeal the tax on paint and lead and shipbuilding and those kinds of things. But they leave 1 tax in place. Want to guess what that tax is?

Bill Mick

T.

Dave Bowman

And why does the British Government? Choose to tax tea. This is one of those questions that. Kind of vexes us in in many ways throughout our history. It shouldn’t. They choose to leave the tax on tea in place because, like other governments, they have their hands in other places. And the British Government has a huge problem with one of their business endeavors with a company that’s too big to fail. The East India Tea company. Which is a company that imports tea from India. To the rest of the British colonies. Has gotten itself into a financial. Mess. And they have had to be bailed out by the British government. Of course, the British Government wants its money back. And since they’re selling their tea. To the colonials, and to everyone else. They figure well, we’ll just tax the tea and make back the money that we invested, so to speak, in the East India Tea Company, to keep them from going under and costing us our our Indian. Colonies, which we fought so hard before against the French not that long ago. It’s a typical it’s it’s not all that unusual from government today, Bill, the governments getting involved with businesses, it’s picking the winners and losers. And it’s trying to pay for it on the backs of the people that really. Don’t want this. And so they’re going to leave that tax on. Tea in place. It’s not a huge tax. In fact, even with the tax, it’s still cheaper than imported tea from, say, the Dutch East India Company or smuggled by other people. But it’s the principle. Of the thing. And if they can tax this tea and make us pay this for their own stupidity of getting involved with other businesses. Where does that end? Does it end with him shooting us in the streets over tea taxes? What does it end with them realizing that? This is a bad idea. Well, it’s the British government. So I think we all know where that’s going to end up. But in the mean time. Things kind of calm down for a little while. But as we all know. It’s not going to last long.

Bill Mick

And we pick it up in one minute. You want in. Now’s the time, 321-768-1240 on WMB.

Speaker 3

Honda Power Sports on last month, remember, we don’t have any log on aboutthosetires.com.

Bill Mick

Coming up this weekend on the Florida roundtable, we’re gonna take a look at Americans and their debt, specifically Floridians and their debt. When it comes to buying the cars that they like, it’s going to be an. Interesting. Take it will happen this weekend. On the Florida Round table, back to Dave, does history and day. I know you saw it. I saw it. The HBO miniseries on John Adams. And I thought it covered this trial part of this very, very well. And it it’s it’s a very good series for folks who might want to catch up on a historic recreation era.

Dave Bowman

You know it’s. One of the few cases where. The TV series John Adams. Which is based on the book by David McCullough. John Abs is in some ways is better than the book. The book really kind of glosses over this, which is surprising to. Me. Have. As you as you know, I’ve put together a bibliography for this. I think I’ve sent. It to you. But it grows by the day, but one of those books that’s that’s highly recommended reading is John Adams by David McCullough. But it really does gloss over this. So yeah, watching that is is fascinating. And of course, it’s drawn directly from the transcripts of that drawn directly from. The records of that trial, so it is very historically accurate. And it’s just. It’s very intense. To be there and you get that feeling that that John Adams would have had in putting up with this. This idea that he’s standing up for what? For what’s right. What’s surprising about this bill is to go back to what we were talking about in the last hour with this. This unwillingness that so many have today to stand up and say what is right. At the potential cost of their friends, their businesses, their whatever. John Adams didn’t feel that way. He knew that this was right. He knew that he had to do it. He knew that it was best for the country. And it wasn’t going to be easy, but he did it anyway, and we shouldn’t forget that. Well, the Boston Massacre is a huge milestone in in where we’re going with this whole thing. It certainly is part of the violence that’s going to lead. To where we’re going to end up, but at the same time. You almost have to ask the question was it contrived? Was it on purpose? And what if John Adams hadn’t stepped up and defended those soldiers? What if the mob had been allowed to take the action that night or or a Boston jury had been in panel? Or what if the British had put them under a military tribunal and not allowed the civilian courts to try to? All of these things could have. Been better leader, might have, might not have been as good a leadership. Would have avoided the escalation or not? I don’t think it would have. But it certainly draws a lot of parallels to today.

Bill Mick

Could have exacerbated it and and I think that Adams actions. Was the start of. Preserving civility in in what this new country was going to be started crafting it and like look, we need to be a nation of laws. We need to act and and and perform under those and show that it can be done.

Dave Bowman

One of the things that he had. Written earlier during the Stamp Act crisis. Was about how the people have a right. To know the character and conduct of their rulers. And and you can kind of see that in this he he’s. He’s a leader. He’s. Not necessarily a ruler at this. Point, but and he’s. Certainly not the President at this. Point. But he he he certainly believes that the character and conduct of the people who are in charge. Is what has to be on display there. There should be no question of these kind of things and so that’s part of why he pushes so hard for this. It’s an amazing moment in our history, and you’re right, it’s one that doesn’t get. You know we we have Paul reveres engravings. We don’t necessarily have Paul Revere’s paintings of of John Adams doing the defense. Which is a.

Bill Mick

Yeah, that’s very true.

Dave Bowman

Shame.

Bill Mick

Interesting that this ties together on a day where we’ve talked about media influence, communication, influence and where people go based on what they believe, and it was a great tie into the day. Dave Bowman, appreciate all your work on Dave, does history. That’s well done, Sir.

Dave Bowman

Thank you so much. We’ll see you next week for Benjamin Franklin becomes a revolutionary.