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Boston Globe
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
In 1775 and today, an elusive American unity
'It is hoped,' Washington continued, 'that all distinctions of colonies will be laid aside, so that one and the same spirit may animate the whole, and the only contest be who shall render, on this great and trying occasion, the most essential service to the great and common cause in which we are all engaged.' Those orders — a plea, really — still resonate 250 years later as American politics have become fractured and polarized. The country is split along regional, racial, and cultural lines; divided by President Trump's aggressive policies; and at odds over what the nation is, was, and should be. Advertisement 'I find it horrifying to hear people talk about having blue states secede, red states secede,' said Robert Allison, a Suffolk University history professor and chair of Revolution 250, a Massachusetts nonprofit group. Advertisement 'This is something that Washington understood, that Lincoln understood, that the liberties we have are something that we need to be unified for. Otherwise, the states will be at war with each other.' In July 1775, many soldiers and their families hoped that peace would prevail, and that Britain would once again permit the extraordinary level of self-government that many American Colonists, particularly in New England, had enjoyed for well over a century. Major General Artemas Ward's orderly book for July 2 to 4, 1775, which contains General George Washington's call for Colonial unity. Massachusetts Historical Society In camp, regional tensions would flare among the troops, few of whom had ever traveled far from their homes. And as the war progressed, they would encounter different religious beliefs, differing tastes, and different ideas about class and society. Still, with his orders, 'It's getting the important thing right from the beginning: This effort won't survive without everyone pulling in the same direction,' said Peter Drummey, chief historian at the Massachusetts Historical Society, founded in 1791. 'Washington understood that, at least in part, his appointment is the representation of that.' As the war progressed, the notion of a common 'American' purpose began to take hold: a revolutionary democracy built on the rule of law; a great nation bound by principles of fairness and equality, although not for the enslaved; and a government of public service elected by and accountable to its citizens. That Washington was a Virginian was a demonstration by the Continental Congress that beleaguered Boston was not alone, and that fighting for self-determination resonated beyond New England. Advertisement The George Washington statue in the Boston Public Garden in April. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff 'The separateness of the different Colonies is what they're trying to overcome' with Washington's appointment, Drummey said. 'I think almost everyone in the army thought of themselves as a Virginian or Bay Stater or wherever else they were from.' 'It's almost like they were fighting a war as if they were NATO countries under a NATO commander,' he added. And what the new commander saw in Cambridge 'horrified' him, Allison said. To his genteel Virginian eyes, New England troops were dirty, undisciplined, and averse to taking orders from someone they didn't know. There also were far fewer of them than he had expected. 'Saying Washington was not particularly impressed is putting it mildly,' Allison said. But for the rank-and-file troops, the arrival of an upper-class, well-dressed, slave-holding Southerner to lead them must have been startling. 'They've had other generals, other officers, and who's this new guy?' Allison said of Washington. 'But this call for unity, it's almost the first thing he says.' The war dragged on for eight more years, shifting to New York after the British evacuated Boston in March 1776, to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and finally to the Carolinas and Virginia before a peace treaty was signed in 1783. But what Washington understood at the very beginning, Allison said, was a far-sighted foreshadowing of the need for national cohesion. What Washington managed to do in 'an extraordinary couple of sentences' in his orders, Allison added, was lay the framework for an epic fight that would prove longer and larger than most of his soldiers must have imagined. Mark DiSalvo, the North Andover town moderator and president of the Massachusetts Moderators Association, said that broadening one's allegiances beyond community or county boundaries would have been remarkable in Revolutionary times. Advertisement 'It was really hard to communicate, and you were narrow in your view,' DiSalvo said. 'You knew your neighbors, and you came to church, which became the town meetinghouse.' Town Meeting helped provide the spark for Revolution, DiSalvo said, as the defense of a free, local government became part of the provincial response, which also became absorbed in the broader Colonial debate. 'At first, it was what many people are fighting for today — in effect, due process,' added DiSalvo, who has encouraged moderators across the state this year to note the role of Town Meeting in the rebellion. But unity could be fleeting, even in the newly victorious nation. Massachusetts, the birthplace of the Revolution, summoned barely enough votes to ratify the Constitution. Local and state governments were deemed by many to be the best, most relevant means of legislating for one's neighbors. Federal law that benefited Georgia, say, might not necessarily be good for Massachusetts. And the contentious question of slavery, a subject of fierce debate at the Constitutional Convention, threatened ratification in an ominous taste of the great conflict that lay ahead. 'Even patriotic people who fought in the Revolution were not convinced that a federal government at a distance was the way forward,' Drummey said. For Washington, the concept of national unity remained important long after he issued his general orders in Cambridge, Allison said. Before his two terms were completed, bitter partisan battles over the scope and power of the federal government had crept into American politics. 'Washington will continue talking about this. It's a constant theme through his life and US history,' he added. Advertisement After 250 years, its relevance persists, and today's notion of what 'American' means has continued to evolve, just as it did at the dawn of the Revolution. 'How we define that is not as clear-cut as it seemed to be a relatively short time ago,' Drummey said. 'To some extent, the idea of what it means to be American is still being contested.' Brian MacQuarrie can be reached at
Wall Street Journal
21-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Tariffs Mean Electoral Defeat for the GOP
The Trump administration is looking for an exit strategy from the most destructive parts of its trade war. The uncertainty is heightening the risk of a recession. Millions of business supply chains have been dismantled. The postwar trading system, responsible for 80 years of peace and prosperity, is in tatters. Some of the damage is irreversible. But if history is any guide, the latest protectionist experiment will soon be over. While protectionists portray the 18th and 19th centuries as a happy period when Americans prospered behind tariff protections, nothing is further from the truth. Americans have historically hated high tariffs and never suffered them for long. Almost 300 years ago American colonists revolted against repeated British efforts to impose tariffs on American imports. Colonists defied the 1733 Molasses Tariff with widespread smuggling. Crying 'taxation without representation,' they mounted a crusade against the 1767-68 Townshend Acts that forced Parliament to repeal them. The Tea Act of 1773 sparked the Boston Tea Party and was effectively repealed at Lexington and Concord.
Boston Globe
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
The Globe's best photos from last month
TODAY'S STARTING POINT Barry Chin likes to go where the action is. Two weeks ago, Chin, a Globe photojournalist, posted up behind the basket at the Boston City League boys' championship game between English High and Holland Tech, two local high schools. Chin was able to snag the vantage point because high school games usually let photographers stake out their own spots to shoot from, as opposed to pro games, where spots are assigned. The freedom to choose isn't without risk. 'The downside to shooting under the basket is that it can be dangerous,' Chin explains. 'Most high school gyms are small, and the area between you and an athlete running at full speed is short, with little room between you and a potentially serious collision.' But at the English vs. Tech game, held at Madison Park High School, taking a chance paid off. Using a telephoto zoom lens, Chin captured the above image as English's Darvens Alcime, powered by upward momentum, flipped over Holland's Ian Piper. Piper's team Advertisement Last month, this newsletter published a preview of the Globe's best photos from January, as chosen by our photo editors. Today, by popular demand, we're bringing you a few of the paper's other best images from February. Erin Clark/Globe Staff The cold and snow deepened across New England in February. Erin Clark John Tlumacki/Globe Staff Load muskets and fix bayonets! This year marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. The Globe's John Tlumacki photographed reenactors playing American Colonists and British redcoats as they Hundreds gathered in the Strand Theatre in Dorchester for " Advertisement David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Love and rain were in the air as the Globe's David Ryan photographed Valentine's Day flowers for sale in the misty windows of Brattle Square Florist. The century-old store, slated to close three years ago, has continued under new ownership just Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff Craig Walker captured the world's top snowboarders as they caught air before thousands of spectators for Red Bull Heavy Metal, a one-day street snowboarding competition at Boston's City Hall Plaza. Before the event, sponsors inundated the plaza with Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe Warrior pose with a side of weed? At Diaspora, a private marijuana club in Cambridge photographed by Brett Phelps, Bhang Yoga class attendees puffed on joints after a warmup of downward dogs and deep breaths. The state will start letting lounges, cafes, and events apply to serve pot products later this year, which Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff No, this isn't a rediscovered Monet newly arrived at the MFA. It's Upper Newbury Street, smudged into an impressionistic blur as freezing rain distorted Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff This photo, taken last year by Craig Walker and published last month in You can see more Photos of the Month Advertisement 🧩 7 Across: | ☔ 57° POINTS OF INTEREST Representative James Comer greets Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as she arrives to testify. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Boston and Massachusetts Unaccounted for: A report showed that Josh Kraft Bowing out: David Snead, who led the Handel and Haydn Society for nearly a decade, Sticker shock: Brookline police arrested a man who allegedly More on the immigration hearing 'Shame on him': During the six-hour congressional hearing, Mayor Wu said that mass deportations would hurt Boston's economy and criticized Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, for " Baby on board: Wu had ashes on her forehead for Ash Wednesday and Pressed: Committee Democrats asked Mayor Eric Adams, who also testified, if he'd backed changes to New York's immigration policies so Trump officials would drop the federal charges against him. Adams denied it. ( Local reactions: Immigrant advocacy groups Trump administration Backtracking: Trump will exempt US automakers from tariffs for one month after speaking with the heads of General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. Administration officials say he's open to other exemptions. ( Withholding: The administration has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, threatening its ability to strike Russian targets. ( Ultimatum: US officials are negotiating directly with Hamas to try to reach a new cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza. Trump threatened more Israeli strikes unless Hamas releases its remaining hostages. ( National Institutes of Health: A judge temporarily blocked the administration from cutting funding for research. ( More cuts: The administration plans to slash 80,000 jobs from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which expanded under President Joe Biden to cover veterans exposed to toxins overseas. ( Hill arrest: Capitol Police arrested House Speaker Mike Johnson's chief of staff for drunk driving. He allegedly hit another vehicle after Trump's speech to Congress. ( The Nation and the World In court: An Afghan national faces charges in the US for participating in a bombing that killed 13 US soldiers and scores of Afghan civilians during the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan. ( Congressman dead: Representative Sylvester Turner, a Texas Democrat, died at 70. He replaced Sheila Jackson Lee, who also died in office last year. ( Papal health update: Francis was in stable condition and well enough to mark the start of Lent yesterday. He's still receiving oxygen and undergoing physical and respiratory therapy. ( BESIDE THE POINT 🎨 Pahk your aht in Hahvahd Yahd: Three shows explore the university's 📀 Turning back the clock: In an age of streaming fatigue, Gen-Z is 🪩 Flirty thirty: Providence has a new lounge/dance club geared toward people aged 30 and up. It's a bid to 📽️ Watch 'Parasite' instead: Bong Joon Ho's 'Mickey 17' is an inferior pastiche of his past movies, 🎵 Local roots: The singer Joan Baez lives in California now, but an upcoming exhibit 📧 Want this sent to your inbox? Correction: Yesterday's newsletter misstated who asked the judge in the Karen Read case to punish her defense attorneys. It was a local prosecutor, not the federal government. We regret the mistake, and thanks to an eagle-eyed newsletter reader for spotting it. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
