THE DAY I HESITATED

I was one of thousands that came to this country from Great Britain in search of a new life. Like the others, I heard there were great opportunities in this new land. There is fresh land for farming and hunting, oceans and abundant waterways for fishing, and a myriad of trees suitable to build new homes.

Although this land is already occupied by Native Americans, King Charles has given us permission to settle and occupy as much land as the eye can see. You see, just as the others, I am a British colonist, loyal to the British crown.

Our first winter was extremely harsh due to the lack of food and shelter, and exceptionally freezing conditions, and many of us died; and had it not been for the Native Americans, we wouldn't have survived another one. However, as time progressed, the colonies grew and prospered. The northern colonies engaged in fishing and shipbuilding, the middle colonies were primarily hunters, while the southern colonies were farmers and slave and plantation owners. So, one might say the colonists are doing quite well, and of course the king wants his cut; and we as loyal colonists of the king must oblige. There is one thing that must be understood, we as colonists are under a lawful agreement with the king. Such agreement states that we are allowed to live on land chartered by the king, and in turn, we must only trade and purchase goods and services with and from the king of England.

The years have passed, and King Charles is no longer on the throne. He has been replaced with a short stature, ill-tempered, stubborn, and vengeful king, George 111. King Charles was more of a gentle king who treated the colonists with more understanding and kindness and forgiveness, whereas the latter king did not possess that quality. George 111 was very greedy and began to force terrible things on us. These terrible things would later be called the Intolerable Acts and the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Acts said that we the colonists could not trade with no other country than England, and he would dispatch soldiers to see that his will was carried out. This act infuriated the colonists. Subsequently, the king began the Intolerable Acts by excessively taxing all goods. Then he demanded all the colonists under the Quartering Act, to house all of his soldiers. He even stated that why should the colonists sleep in houses while his soldiers sleep in tents? He intensely taxed all publications and stamps. The colonists made pleas with the king in several documents, and on several occasions to leave us alone. His response was to always send more soldiers. The tensions among the colonists were severely mounting, and one could feel the trouble in the air. That trouble was thick as a black smoke. The last straw came in the form of the Tea Act. Tea is a very well-loved commodity in the colonies, especially the Northern colonies where the winters are very frigid. There is nothing like a hot piping cup of tea and sitting by the fireplace. George 111 knew this was a popular item, and the act of taxing the price of tea, would bring about a tumultuous festival of animosity and discontent. The king committed this act of aggression simply because he has the power to do so, and it was treated as another act of aggression to provoke the colonists. There was conversation of a revolt against England. I came in one day of the word "party," and that's all I heard. The Sons of Liberty has already sent The Olive Branch Petition to the king, in hopes he would begin the withdrawal of the soldiers. The king's response came in the form of calling said document as an act of treason. The taxes weren't the only issue. The colonists wanted a voice in Parliament. They wanted taxation with representation. Seeing the king's unwillingness to relent on the Tea Act, the Sons of Liberty planned and chose December 16, 1773, as the day of revolution. There was a meeting held to discuss the particulars of the revolt. Everything had to be held in the utmost secrecy because there was still many loyal to the king called Tories. I was also angry with the antics of the king. I was also angry of the soldiers keeping watch over us all the time, so I attended the meeting. John Adams was the principal head of the meeting. He cautioned everyone in the meeting of the dangers if captured. Anyone captured would be hanged for treason. He laid out just how the revolt would be carried out. While he was speaking, my mind was racing. I began to speak inside myself. "You hate the king, right?" "Right!" "You hate taxes, right?" "Right!" While I continued to question and answer myself, a shadow formed over me. Then I heard a voice say," You have a troubled look on your face young man." As I came to myself, I realized it was John Adams, and that he was speaking to me. "Are you going to join us for the Party," he asked. The word party was a code word to throw off any suspicions. I replied, "I'm not sure because I heard what you said about being captured." John just smiled and told me to think about it and departed. This was December 15, 1773, and I had less than a day to be at the Boston Harbor. That night I weighed out my disdain for the king against the consequences if captured. December 16, 1773, my Revolutionary thoughts took precedent. After all, a change had to come; not for just myself, but for all that would come after me. That day, I was at the Boston Harbor. There were men dressed as Native Americans there along with others. We all boarded the ship. There were crates upon crates of tea on the ship. Before the days end, there were ton thousands of pounds of tea dumped in the Boston Harbor. I was very proud that I participated in this event, and didn't give in to fear or reluctance.