American Revolution: The Background Period (1954)

[Music] the american revolution began here at concord bridge when shots were fired heard round the world it began here too in this pioneer home in pennsylvania when a frontier laborer of his own free will went to fight the redcoats [Music] the american revolution began at the raleigh tavern in williamsburg virginia where defiant burgesses assembled in 1774 and issued a call for a congress of all the colonies it began in boston with letters about liberty sent by secret carriers to committees of correspondence in other colonies by the spring of 1775 revolt was spreading with the winds throughout the british colonies of north america from the great plantations of the south to the cabins along the allegheny mountains from the dutch mansions of new york to the forts and outposts of the frontier came the call to fight for liberty the rebels began to gather arms hearing of the arsenal at concord in massachusetts the british dispatched troops to seize it the rebels were warned by paul revere and others and the next morning at lexington common british soldiers fought american colonists a few hours later the shots were fired at concord bridge the war had begun why why did these men die merchants farmer craftsman laborer what went before what happened on this continent that men should choose liberty or death one answer lay in the freedom of the frontier sixty years before the revolution a poor english boy came to pennsylvania to build in the wilderness a life of his own in his own way by trade he was an iron maker [Music] with energy and imagination he created on the edge of the civilized world the tools necessary for the making of iron [Music] but he was not alone in this enterprise working with him were german woodcutters scotch irish miners [Music] men who chose the crude life of the frontier over the comforts of living in the established colonies men and women who could live simply who could toil without end for the right to live and worship as they pleased and for the right which was ever theirs to move on and conquer new frontiers [Music] with time this enterprise at hopewell village prospered so well that when the founder died in 1761 he left this large home in the wealth of the iron trade to his son mark bird but he left more he left a love of independence a deep feeling for the right of every man to shape his own destiny the more prosperous and established colonies near the coast were more british than the frontier in 1770 john draper bought a home in williamsburg virginia behind it he operated a forge his work was necessary and his craft had standing as a property owner draper was a citizen an englishman and a virginian with the right to vote and to hold public office nearby in the palace lived the royal governor responsible to the king but down the street in the capitol building the colonial assembly the house of purchases made laws for the colony here they met and here they forged a tradition of government by the people of the colony [Music] yes to draper as to most british subjects in america the right of self-government was firmly established and it was an english right a right draper felt was his as a virginian and as an englishman if the english governor should deny this right draper was ready to fight boston had grown into a thriving port filled with american-owned ships that scoured the atlantic ocean for trade indeed much of the prosperity of the new england colony was built on this ocean trade and prosperous it was the homes of the day reflected the good living which grew from the trade but the people saw in british rule a growing threat to that trade and prosperity for the british parliament with tea party in boston harbor and so was revolution born it was born in the capital at williamsburg where patrick henry denounced the right of parliament attacks the colonies it was born in fanwell hall boston in the speeches of james otis and samuel adams against taxation without representation it was born in carpenters hall philadelphia where representatives of the colonies met in continental congress to work together in common cause the spirit of revolution was kept alive by letters from the radical leaders of the colonists soon a whole network of correspondents about liberty was holding the cause together the news reached the frontier it reached mark byrd the son of the englishman who had hewn a new life out of the wilderness it reached the german woodcutters it reached the scotch irish miners these men knew the worth of freedom in virginia the royal governor issued an order dissolving the assembly the capital was closed to the elected representatives of the people [Music] in defiance the assembly met in saint john's church in richmond where patrick henry rose to voice the battle cry of the revolution give me liberty or give me death here was the common ground that united the colonists of many nationalities and many occupations liberty for liberty the frontier laborer left his work and took up arms for liberty draper the smith became draper the arms maker for the colonial army for liberty jonathan harrington took his bayonets that was made in england and turned it against the english men times united in a fight for freedom of such was the background of the american revolution you