The Spirit of 74: How the American Revolution Began

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 and new historical context, both changing and deepening its meaning for all Americans.