The impartial student is fully impressed with the fact that, as his
investigations approach the period just preceding the American
Revolution, the claims of the New England people become more prominent.
Here again, if the writers of our histories and especially of our school
books have not given undue credit to those who were the chief actors in
New England at this period, they have at least uniformly failed to do
full justice to those who were quite as active in the cause in other
colonies.
[Illustration:
Account of Negro School-House Cost
]
Resistance to the Stamp Act had been quite general throughout the
country and the Sons of Liberty in New York were particularly vigilant
in seeing that the Non-importation Act was fully observed, although many
of the merchants did not sympathize with the move. British soldiers were
stationed in all the larger towns and they, taking their cue from those
in authority, showed their enmity towards the people on all occasions.
Particularly marked was this condition of affairs in the city of New
York.
On the night of January 16th, 1770, the soldiers succeeded in destroying
the Liberty pole in this city after having failed in several previous
attempts, in which they had been driven off by the people. On the
following day a public meeting was called, which at least three thousand
sympathizing citizens attended. Resolutions were passed condemning the
hiring of soldiers for divers purposes by the people, since this custom
worked to the disadvantage of the laboring classes who were thus
deprived of steady employment. A protest was also entered against
allowing armed soldiers to wander freely about the city when off duty.
The soldiers promptly resented this action of the people and a number of
brawls took place in various parts of the town. At length the people
concentrated their strength and, after disarming a number of the
soldiers, drove them into barracks. The encounter in which the largest
number on both sides was engaged, took place on what was called Golden
Hill, a place situated on John Street between William and Cliff Streets.
Miss Mary L. Booth, who wrote a most painstaking and reliable history of
the city of New York, previous to the beginning of the Civil War, refers
to this matter as follows: “Thus ended the battle of Golden Hill, a
conflict of two days duration, which, originating as it did in the
defense of a principle, was an affair of which New Yorkers have just
reason to be proud, and which is worthy of far more prominence than has
usually been given it by standard historians. It was not until nearly
two months after that the “Boston Massacre” occurred, a contest which
has been glorified and perpetuated in history; yet this was second both
in date and in significance to the New York Battle of Golden Hill.”
It would be difficult to find a better illustration than this of the
subject under consideration. The “Boston Massacre” was at best nothing
more than a street brawl, in which five unarmed spectators were shot
down without the slightest resistance having been made on their part; an
affair with which at the time the people at large of Boston had nothing
whatever to do. It was simply a brutal and dastardly act on the part of
the soldiers, in retaliation for the annoyance offered by one or two
irresponsible boys who had been throwing snow balls. Yet this affair has
been magnified to such a degree of importance that if the Battle of
Bunker Hill had not been fought in the same neighborhood, this
occurrence would doubtless have been placed in history as the most
important event in the Revolution. On the other hand, the conflict in
New York, which lasted for over two days, was the first stand, and a
successful one, made by the people against the British soldiers. It was
an event of very great importance indeed, for not only was blood first
shed but in it was life first lost for the Cause. Yet how little
importance has any New England writer in the past ever attached to it!
It has certainly never been pointed out that the “Battle of Golden
Hill,” in contra-distinction to the “Boston Massacre,” was the beginning
of the struggle.
In _Parker’s New York Gazette or Weekly Post-Boy_ for Monday, February
5th, 1770, a full and detailed account of the Battle of Golden Hill can
be found. The file of this paper is now in the Lenox Library and this
special issue has been reproduced in fac-simile for the author; but it
is so voluminous that it can not be given here as an illustration.[1]
If the quartering of troops in one section of the Colonies, rather than
in another, may be accepted as evidence of disaffection among the people
and of organized resistance to the acts of the British Government, then
again full justice has not been done to New York. According to Bancroft
British troops had already been quartered in this city as early as
December, 1766, and were not sent to Boston until at least two years
later.