Evening star., 1940-04-19
Birthday of Freedom

American Colonies achieved their in
dependence of the British crown
began at Lexington and Concord.
True enough, the embattled farmers
who fired "the shot heard round the
world" on April 10, ITS, previously
had not insisted upon separation
from their mother country. John
Adams, than whom there was no
keener student of the strife, long
after its close declared: There was
not moment during the Revolution
when would not have given every
thing possessed for a restoration
to the state of things before the
contest began, provided we could
have had a sufficient security for its
continuance. Franklin, Jefferson
and Washington shared that point
of view until events had convinced
them that it no longer was tolerable.
Yet Adams realized that "the
Revolution was in the minds and
hearts of the people" The great
change in thought and feeling which
dictated the declaration of freedom
adopted by the Continental Congress
at Philadelphia July 4, 1776, was
effected before the war commenced"
Englishmen and Americans differed
irreconcilably in certain basic polit-
ical principles" Economic deter
minism played little part in the
making of the issue. The funda-
mental difference was social, psyche
logical. almost if not quite spiritual.
"As new Colonies one after another
were founded y, there evolved
in various ways similar institutions,
given to like divergences from the
English legal and constitutional
development. The whole Colo
nial history abounds in struggles
between the assemblies elected by
the people and the Governors, the
appointed agents of King or Parlia-
ment. A few men of ability were
made Governors, but they seem to
have been little more successful
than those who were inefficient
or lacking in experience. The colo
nists opposed them whether good
or bad"
Gradually, the determination grew
to resist coercion by force. Commit
tees OF Safety, so-called, purchased
weapons and other military supplies
and stored them at convenient places
from which they could be distributed
when needed. 1t was to destroy such
cache that General Thomas Gage
sent redcoat troops from Boston.
Joseph Dawes and Paul Revere,
acting under the direction of DR..
Joseph Warren, spread the ALARM"
with the result that "a body of coun-
try people" assembled ''in military
order" at Lexington "in the early
dawn" Their commander, Captain
John Parker, told them: Stand your
ground. Don't fire unless fired upon.
But If they mean to have war, let
it begin here" The Americans were
hopelessly outnumbered. Eight were
killed, ten wounded, the others
twenty altogether-followed the ene-
my to Concord and shared in the
fighting there. BY nightfall ninety
three colonists and two hundred and
seventy-three British soldiers had
died in a cause which, with their
sacrifice, had become immortal.
Now, after more than a century
and half, it may be wondered if
the problem could not have been
solved in peace; but the answer to
such a question must be negative.
Violence and the reaction to violence
appear to be inevitable in human
affairs so long as the human species
remains imperfect. The current
conflict in Europe is but phase of
the ancient contest between liberty
and those powers which periodically
attempt to dominate the souls Of
men. Something "in the minds and
hearts of the people" prevents them
from submitting to the destruction
OF freedom, even when life itself must
be paid for the privilege of con-
tributing to its survival.