On May 21, 1775, the citizens of British-occupied Boston made a fateful decision that would become a stark lesson in broken promises. In exchange for the freedom to leave the city, residents agreed to surrender all their firearms to local selectmen, only to watch as British General Thomas Gage systematically betrayed the agreement.
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| [Historical illustration: A political cartoon showing Bostonians imprisoned in a cage suspended from the Liberty Tree, being fed by British sailors in exchange for "Promises"] |
The arrangement came after numerous town meetings and
negotiations between Boston's committee and General Gage. The terms seemed
straightforward: inhabitants would deliver their weapons to selectmen, and in
return, they would have "liberty to move out of town, with their
effects" and enjoy "free egress and regress" during the
evacuation.
Bostonians largely
complied, a process that took several days to complete. But once the arms were
collected, the restrictions began.
Tightening the Noose
According to a correspondent writing from Boston, published
in the Pennsylvania Journal on June 7, 1775, the promised liberties
evaporated almost immediately. First, residents had to register their names
with selectmen, who forwarded them to the military town major for pass
approval. Then came the prohibitions: no merchandise could be removed, then no
provisions, and finally no medicine either.
Guards searched every trunk, box, and bed leaving the city.
The searches became so extreme that officials confiscated "a single loaf
of bread and half a pound of chocolate" from desperate residents. Despite
these humiliations, Bostonians submitted quietly. As the correspondent noted,
"The anxiety indeed is so great to get out of town, that even were we
obliged to go naked, it would not hinder us."
The Reality of "Liberation"
The evacuation process became deliberately obstructed. Only
two ferry boats were permitted to cross, despite General Gage's initial offer
to procure the admiral's boats to help transport residents' belongings, an
offer never fulfilled. The correspondent estimated that even the most anxious
residents would require "two or three months" to leave, "vastly
different from what was expected."
Meanwhile, the city suffered. With supply lines choked and
fresh meat scarce, Bostonians endured deprivation even as British
reinforcements, transports carrying marines, continued to arrive.
A Historical Echo
The events of May 21, 1775, stand as a powerful reminder of
how promised liberties can vanish once citizens relinquish the means to defend
them. The Bostonians, literally caged by their occupiers, discovered too late
that agreements mean little when one party holds all the power.
Sources:
·
Moore, Frank. Diary of the American
Revolution. From newspapers and original documents. Vol. 1, 1860. https://archive.org/details/diaryofamericanr01moor
·
"The Bostonians in distress," 1774.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661777/
[Historical illustration: A political cartoon showing
Bostonians imprisoned in a cage suspended from the Liberty Tree, being fed by
British sailors in exchange for "Promises"]
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