History Us Short Paper

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John Chester Gellido

The New York American:Editorial

Who the f*** SHOT that gun!?

Spring has arrived and the shot heard from around the world has just been fired at

Lexington. War is upon us as the British Troupes close in to seize the colonies that go

against the Crown. The first question

to be ask is, Who the f*** SHOT that

gun!?

Ever since the Royal

Proclamation of 1763, where the

British King had declared that all

frontiers to colonial expansion

towards the west are to be ceased, the British has been taking

advantage of us in order to get their losses back from their war

with the French. They have taken over the fur trade with help of

the Indians and been taking profit of what is truly ours. They

even gave them back their lands, which some colonist have

already settled in, as the proclamation states, at any Time any of

the Said Indians should be inclined to dispose of the said Lands, the same shall be

Purchased only for Us.Shouldnt they be more concerned aboutus rather than those

Indians? As if it hasnt been getting crowded here already in the east. More and more

settlers come here even though there is nowhere else to stay, if not west. Not to mention


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the Quartering Act of 1765, where Parliament has ordered colonial legislatures to

support British Troupes stationed here by supplying them with our food and what not. The

act states, expedient and necessary that carriages and other conveniences, upon the march

of troops in his Majestys dominions in America, should be supplied for that purpose. It is

their justification for punishing mutiny and desertion, and for the better payment of the

army and their quarters. RIDICULOUS! They are already taxing us unfairly, not to mention

denying us our basic rights as Englishmen, but now they want us to babysit their troupes

too!? This is absurd!!

And let us not forget the events that occurred in the Boston Massacre in 1770. Five

colonists died and more wounded because of British soldiers started to open fire at a mob

outside a British sentry. The incident only grew higher tensions with the British. Whats

more is last years Boston Port Act, one of the Intolerable Acts, which states, to

discontinue [] the landing and discharging, lading or shipping, of goods, wares, and

merchandise, at the town, and within the harbour, of Boston, in the province of

Massachusettss Bay, in North America. This act was cause by some idiots who managed to

piss off the British by dumping their precious tea supply overboard, most commonly

known as the Boston Tea Party. Now we dont have any means oftrading offshore, but

more importantly feeding ourselves as our supplies start to become scarce.

Due to these events, the Boston Committee has written the Circular Letter of the

Boston Committee of Correspondence last May of 1774. This letter was sent to the other

colonies to unite against the British Crown as their rights were being taken away. The letter

states, Now therefore is the time when all should be united in opposition to this violation

of the liberties of all. Soon the First Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia to


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appeal their petition againstthe Britishs Intolerable Acts. The petition states, To these

grievous acts and measures, Americans cannot submit, but in hopes their fellow subjects in

Great Britain will, on a revision of them, restore us to that state, in which both countries

found happiness and prosperity. It is good that we still have means of handling these

disputes diplomatically and avoid the violence to justify our rights. All seemed to be going

well until the Battle ofLexington and Concord, where a battalion British Troupes marches

around Boston to secure the local militia arms caches and enforce British law. This

eventually led to an open warfare as colonist started fighting back, setting off what we now

have as the American Revolution.

With the British army still standing by our doorsteps, we have yet to completely

defend ourselves against an armada of British troupes, well-armed and trained for war. We

have the right to fight our liberty and justice of our colony. But being the pacifist as I am, I

still sought a diplomatic solution for this war era to arise as more lives are being taken

away. But, a revolution seemed to be inevitable as tension get even higher. From what was

once just a political dispute quickly became an open warfare. So, let me just ask this one

more time, Who the f*** shot that gun!?


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Bibliography

"Avalon Project - Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress." The Avalon

Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. Accessed October 19, 2012.

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"Avalon Project - Great Britain: Parliament - The Boston Port Act: March 31, 1774." The

Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. Accessed October 19,

2012. .

"Avalon Project - Great Britain: Parliament - The Quartering Act; June 2, 1774." The Avalon

Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. Accessed October 19, 2012.

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"Avalon Project - The Royal Proclamation - October 7, 1763." The Avalon Project:

Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy. October 19, 2012.

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