Reddit: Why we are unlike our forefathers.

[Mindflayer]

Lifted straight from Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/gunpolitics/com ... refathers/

I have read the gnashing of teeth about why we're taking events like the searches in Watertown lying down. I have a story to tell all of you which I hope may help you understand why we have not resisted.
The searches in Watertown happened to happen on a very important anniversary for our country. Most people if asked will probably tell you that the Revolutionary War began on July 4th, 1776. They are wrong and it is truly unfortunate that we are forgetting our origins and the men whom fought for our Liberty.
The Revolutionary War really began on April 19th, 1775 when General Thomas Gage sent the Regulars on a secret mission to confiscate powder from Concord and possibly arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington. The orders given to Colonel Smith that morning were explicit but were to be kept in the greatest of secrecy.
Unfortunately for the Regulars the plan was leaked. Paul Revere learned of the details at a meeting with Dr. Joseph Warren on the evening of the 18th and along with two other men set out to alert the countryside to the threat that they were facing. General Gage, in preparation for putting his plan in action ordered Boston Neck to be sealed. Just as those orders were making it to the gate William Dawes was leaving Boston carrying the message of alarm.
Paul Revere, first went to talk to Robert Newman a deacon who one of only two people with keys to the Old North Church. He told Newman of the Regulars plans and he was to hang two lanthorns in the steeple to alert the town of Charlestown. Revere then proceeded to a boat he had hidden and was rowed by two friends across the bay to Charlestown past the English 70-gun ship of the line HMS Somerset. Once arriving in Charlestown Revere was loaned a horse and proceeded towards Lexington. He knew most of the leaders amongst the colonists and alerted them during his ride telling them that, "the Regulars are coming out," and telling them of their destination. He certainly did not say, "The British are coming" since everyone at the time considered themselves British.
The Regulars were just starting to assemble when Revere and Dawes left Boston. The Royal Navy had earlier in the day launched their longboats to transport the Regulars across the bay to an uninhabited point there called Lechmere Point. General Gage had chosen the location because it was far from any homes on that side of the bay. There was a good reason for that though because it was a swamp which severely hindered the unloading and forming up of the regulars. It took them until 2am to all cross the bay, form up and start on the road to Lexington.
Paul Revere made it to the Clark Parsonage just after midnight to alert Sam Adams and John Hancock that the Regulars had orders to arrest them. After awakening them and as he was telling them of the plan William Dawes showed up. Convinced that Adams and Hancock would leave soon Dawes and Revere continued riding towards Concord.
About a mile outside of Lexington they were caught from behind by another rider. Dr. Samuel Prescott had been visiting with his fiancee that evening and was on his way home to Concord. Later Revere would write that, "Dr. Prescott was a high son of liberty," and after telling him why they were out he immediately agreed to help them spread the alarm.
About half way between Lexington and Concord the three men were captured by a Regular patrol sent out early the previous day to interdict travel on the roads to help keep the knowledge of the Regulars movements secret. As they were herded into a pasture they made a signal amongst themselves and all galloped off in different directions. Dawes escaped but his horse shortly afterwards got his foot caught in a furrow trowing him from his horse which then galloped off alone. Dawes slowly walked back towards Lexington but was done for the night. Dr. Prescott being a country doctor knew all of the back ways and was very familiar with the land and escaped. He was the only one who alerted Concord to what was happening. Paul Revere was recaptured.
Back in Lexington, Captain Jonathan Parker was gathering his militia company. He decided that he needed to verify the report and sent out two scouts to determine if the Regulars were really out.
Once the patrol had recaptured Paul Revere they decided to question him immediately. The officer in charge asked Paul Revere who he was. Revere had no inclination to lie to the Regulars and told them who he was. Revere was a name that was well known to the Regulars as a Whig and a facilitator of the unrest in Massachusetts. Revere then proceeded to tell the officer of his own military's plans which he did not know. Revere also told him that he had alerted the whole countryside until he was captured and that there were 500 militia back in Lexington preparing to meet the column of Regulars. The officer didn't believe Revere. As luck would have it, just about the time Revere told them of the militia in Lexington a volley of musket fire was heard coming from Lexington. The officer confiscated Reveres horse for one of his seargents and left Revere on the side of the road suddenly believing what Revere had told him. His plan was to alert his own column about the militia in Lexington. Revere then proceeded to walk back to the Clark Parsonage to make sure Adams and Hancock had left.
Captain Parker received relatively quickly news from his first scout that he didn't see anything untoward on the road to Boston. Captain Parker was a cautious man and decided to let his men wait inside while he awaited word from the second scout. He told them to remain close though. The men who lived further from town decided to wait in the tavern. Since, even then, you didn't take a loaded musket into a tavern they had to unload their muskets. There is only one way to unload a musket — by firing it. Since there were a fairly large group of them they decided to fire off a volley before entering the tavern. This was a volley heard by Revere which regained him his freedom.
Colonel Smith, being very disappointed in the progress of his regulars decided to send a few companies out ahead of his column to quick march to Lexington. He put Major Pitcairn in charge of that detachment. Major Pitcairn then put a young Lieutenant Jesse Adair in charge of the Regulars at the very front of the column.
A little before dawn, the second scout reported to Captain Parker that the Regulars were out and were only minutes from the town. The scout had found them when he was on the wrong side of the column and had unable to get around them until he was closer to Lexington. Captain Parker then had his drummer call his men to formation. About 70 militia under Captain Parker assembled on Lexington Green that morning. Captain Parker instructed his men, "Do not fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here."
Revere made it back to the Clark Parsonage around this time and found Adams and Hancock still there arguing, as only politicians can, about what to do. Revere practically had to shove them into a carriage by himself and force them to leave town. He was told, just as they were leaving that there was a chest of incriminating documents back in the Lexington Meeting house. So, Paul Revere had a new mission. Revere retrieved the chest from the meeting house and dragged the chest with another man through Captain Parkers line of militia just before the Regulars arrived.
Jesse Adair arrived at the fork in the road that formed two sides of Lexington Green and it was just light enough that he could see the militia formed up on the far side of the green. He had a decision to make. The left fork went towards Concord but the right fork led more directly towards the militia. He decided to send his men towards the militia.
Major Pitcairn about halfway back amongst the detachment realized what had happened and redirected the men behind him along the road towards Concord and he himself made his way to ride between the lines of the militia and the Regulars. He was yelling "Throw down your arms, ye villains, ye rebels, disperse!"
Captain Parker believing that the colonists had made their point ordered his men to disperse but to not lay down their arms. Most of the militia had turned around and were walking towards their homes when a shot rang out! The Regulars, with their adrenalin pumping and ready for a fight, then fired a ragged volley without orders into the backs of the Lexington Militia and then charged with their bayonets.
Paul Revere would later write about the events of the day and said that first shot sounded like a pistol. No one knows who fired that first shot.
Colonel Smith, finally arriving at Lexington, seeing his men killing and looting the town ordered his drummer to sound a call to arms. His men were well trained and started forming up immediately. He was concerned about the morale of his troops though and permitted his men to cheer HUZZAH, HUZZAH, HUZZAH and fire a victory volley. Then for the first time of the day he told his officers what the plans were and that he still intended to carry them out.
There were eight sets of fathers and sons on the field that morning in the Lexington Militia. Five of those sets were separated by death that morning. Jonathan Harrington's house was on the far side of Lexington Green and as he was walking home, with his wife and child watching from a window, he was shot in the back and fell down. He tried to stand but could not and then he proceeded to crawl to his front steps where he died in the arms of his wife.
The colonists that morning knew by opposing the Kings Troops that they were committing Treason against the Crown. If they were caught alone they would be strung up on the nearest tree and hung. Who amongst us today is ready to make that decision that their liberty is more important than their lives.
People have asked why we today put up with events, like what happened in Watertown on April 19th, 2013, which are very similar to what led up to the Revolution. Perhaps we do not have the character of those men. Perhaps we do not have the force of will to resist the illegal acts. But perhaps a much simpler reason is the case: we are just too comfortable and unwilling to risk losing what we have for what we know is right.
Until we find those men of character and strength to stand up for our natural rights our governments will push us as far as they can. They will find those who enjoy ordering people around and put them in charge of dispersing our spirits for as long as they are able. The forum warriors amongst us will rail against the injustice and post our messages of disappointment to no avail.
You need to stand up and start doing something. Actions speak louder than words.
What I wrote above is largely derived from [1] Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fischer. It is a great book that, unlike most history, reads like a novel and is difficult to put down.
If you wish to hear more of the story but don't want to read the book I would highly recommend that you attend an Appleseed or Libertyseed. What I wrote out above is what we tell as the First Strike of the match in our storytelling. I am an instructor for the Appleseed Project. Any errors above are mine. I wrote the story from memory.
TL;DR: Read the story, it is important.
Edit: Minor gramatical fix and added a couple words.

[FiremanBob]

Well written - you have a good memory. I had the great privilege of telling that story to a roomful of 30 people at this weekend's Appleseed in Montpelier.

There are seven more Appleseeds scheduled in Virginia this year, with plenty of space. Perhaps forum members have family or friends who would benefit from some concentrated marksmanship learning and practice as well as the rest of the story of April 19, 1775.

[gunderwood]

Thanks for the write up.

The people in MA by and large want the government that was on display in Watertown. Those that don't moved a long time ago. Anything to get the bad guy, even it means declaring a military dictatorship.

[Kreutz]

We're unlike our American forefathers because very few of us are WASPS.

Those men were the product of a culture, unified background, time, and ethos that does not exist anymore.

It is impossible to unify a diverse population with competing interests.

[GeneralG]

A few good men in the right position can cause much more devestation then an army spread out over a vast area.

[SHMIV]

Kreutz, do you suggest that diversity, in fact, does not make us stronger? That diversity might even weaken us? Back to the re-education camp with you!

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[dorminWS]

We're unlike our American forefathers because very few of us are WASPS.

Those men were the product of a culture, unified background, time, and ethos that does not exist anymore.

It is impossible to unify a diverse population with competing interests.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Fewer and fewer of us are WASPs, but I don't think we are down yet all the way to "very few". Probably can't avoid it at this point, but we ain't plumb dead yet.

[Monkey]

Heard this story this past weekend between AQTs.

Awesome.

[Kreutz]

Kreutz, do you suggest that diversity, in fact, does not make us stronger? That diversity might even weaken us? Back to the re-education camp with you!

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It is not a coincidence the 1965 Immigration Act happened when it did. It dovetailed with the myriad other Marxist movements of the time.

[Reverenddel]

Watching "Sons of Liberty" right now... Realizing that we have let our forefathers down, we've let down all those who gave their lives to start, and keep this country... we're a let down.
...And Samuel Adams was WAY more than a microbrewery! LEARN THAT!

"Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt."- Sam Adams.

[thekinetic]

We're unlike our American forefathers because very few of us are WASPS.

Those men were the product of a culture, unified background, time, and ethos that does not exist anymore.

It is impossible to unify a diverse population with competing interests.

Certainly not when they are rejected by those from whom they seek unity! Rejection begets rejection, when you refuse accept those would be your friend you have only isolated yourself and earned an enemy and your enemy a friend.

[WRW]

An interesting word that Sam Adams used. "Corrupt". Thanks for the quote.

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