Founding Fathers: A Shot Heard Around the World
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What spiritual ritual prepares Newburyport soldiers for the Quebec expedition?
It's September the 19th, 1775. In eastern Massachusetts, the First Presbyterian Church towers over the town of Newburyport. Its gleaming white steeple points upwards to the clouds. Inside is a picture of serenity. A few dozen people are scattered throughout the gallery. Suddenly, the peace is broken. The doors fly open. In march, hundreds of soldiers, guns slung over their shoulders, regimental flags waving high above their heads. They filter down the aisle in two columns. The sound of drums echo around the church. Between the two columns walks a chaplain in the Continental Army, a new colonial force standing up to the British Empire. At the pulpit, he turns to address his audience. Several hundred men stare back at him.
There is standing room only, and hardly any of that. The drums stop. The soldiers pile their guns wherever they can. Silence fills the room. The chaplain begins his sermon. He preaches from the Book of Exodus, the story of Moses turning his back on the Promised Land in favor of remaining with God in the wilderness. If thy spirit go not with us, carry us not up hence. The lesson is well chosen. In a few hours from now, these men will begin a journey north. Their mission is to invade the British province of Quebec. For the last several months, the American colonies have been at war with the motherland, Great Britain. Since fighting began, these men have seen things beyond their comprehension. What lays ahead will be no different.
At the end of the service, the soldiers file out, except a few officers. For them, a special honor has been reserved. With the chaplain leading the way, they descend a flight of stone steps. At the bottom is the church crypt. Using candles to light their path, they move towards a coffin nestled within the walls. They prise it open. As the lid lifts, the officers peer into the dark space beneath. In the flickering orange light, human remains. It's the skeleton of George Whitefield, the charismatic preacher from England who has had a huge impact on all their lives. 35 years ago, Whitefield caused a sensation in America, traveling the colonies. He called for a spiritual awakening. It triggered a revival of evangelical passion that has helped to bring us here.
with loyal subjects of the British Empire waging war against the crown. One of the officers reaches into the coffin. With a knife, he cuts fragments of Whitfield's clothing. He passes them around his colleagues. Everyone wants a piece. This isn't grave robbing, at least not for profit. The officers want talismans, good luck charms, anything to boost their chances in what awaits them over the coming weeks. Lord knows they'll need all the help they can get.
I'm Clark Peters from the Noiser Podcast Network. This is part three of Founding Fathers, An American Dream.
Let's take a step back a year earlier. In the fall of 1774, representatives from 12 American colonies are meeting in Philadelphia. Following the Boston Tea Party a few months earlier, the British government has imposed strict measures on the colonies. Massachusetts is hit particularly hard. Traditional rights and liberties are suspended. The colonies come together to plan a joint response. The First Continental Congress is a pivotal moment. Its delegates launch a widespread embargo on British goods. They insist their political and legal rights be restored, and they petition the King asking him directly to address their grievances. Among the delegates is George Washington, an old school Virginian, a slave-owning man with property and wealth.
He's also a military veteran. In the 1750s, he fought with distinction alongside the British during the French and Indian War. In his rented rooms in a Philadelphia boarding house, Washington opens a letter. It's from the Fairfax Independent Company, a voluntary militia that has just been established near his home in Virginia. They're writing for Washington's help in purchasing a variety of weapons and musical instruments. It might sound like an odd request, but brand new militias are springing up across Virginia.
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