History Lesson

What triggered the hostilities at this otherwise serene place on the edge of Concord was when the government took arms against its citizens.

The “shot heard around the world” was fired when British troops marched into Massachusetts to seize the weapons amassed by the farmers and shopkeepers. This was after years of peaceful objections to increasing abuses, emissaries to England, and petitions to the King and Parliament but all to no avail.

It’s only fair to add that, by this time, the farmer’s stashes were considerably more than hunting rifles. Their distrust after years of abuse left them feeling justified in collecting cannons and stockpiling powder and ball. They called themselves “Militia” and practiced marching, shooting, taking orders and acting as a unified whole.

While it is likely that few of those farmers and shopkeepers wanted what was to come, the actions of their government left little doubt as to the possible, and later to the probable. They did what was prudent: they prepared for the worst while working for the best.

In December of 1771, that “first shot” was more than a year away in April of 1773.

And in the December of 2011 when I took the photographic “shot” above, I wondered what will the election of November 2012 bring? And how will the swearing in of a President in January go? And what, if any, developments might there be by April of 2013?