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Five Years Before Independence

Updated: Jul 8, 2021

250 years ago, on July 4, 1771, the American colonies were only five years away from declaring their independence from England. Annapolitans of the time had no way of knowing what would happen over the next half-decade to bring them, their fellow Marylanders, and their fellow Americans to that historic day and decision, just as we have no way of knowing what the future has in store for us. Sometimes the world can change in an instant (September 11, 2001 comes immediately to mind), making even the day before seem, in retrospect, like an alternate reality. But movements of major historical importance (such as the run-up to the American Revolution) usually develop over time, and looking back can reveal a world in the midst of transformation. Much of the old world is still in place, but hints of the new world to come start to appear. Which brings me back to July 4, 1771 and the news reported that day in the Maryland Gazette.

The Gazette usually led with stories and letters out of Europe and England, and this issue followed that standard pattern. Anne Catharine Green’s subscribers could read about Berlin’s very wintry spring weather…

...or the latest happy news from Denmark: the queen was pregnant, and the king had been praised by Voltaire, the French philosopher, for his enlightened guarantee of freedom of the press.

France’s own monarch, Louis XV, was acting in a far less enlightened manner, arresting hundreds of people for voicing their support of the parlements (provincial judicial bodies) recently disbanded by the king for challenging his absolute authority. After the king died in 1774, his grandson and successor, Louis XVI, restored the parlements, but that wouldn’t put a stop to rising unrest in France.

In England, political activists also faced unjust punishments, but those who could inspire and harness popular support most effectively might enjoy some level of protection from the worst official reprisals. Brass Crosby, Lord Mayor of London in 1770-71, was one such savvy politician, winning the loyalty of many Londoners by refusing to allow Royal Navy press gangs to round up townsmen for involuntary service at sea. When Crosby upset the House of Commons by failing to punish a printer who published unauthorized reports of Parliamentary proceedings, common Londoners came to his aid. Although the Lord Mayor was committed to the Tower of London for a time, Crosby eventually avoided the clutches of his Westminster foes largely thanks to the “Zeal of his accompanying Friends (known at the West End of the Town by the Epithets Mob, Scum of the Earth, &c.).” It sometimes helped having lots of friends in low places.

Carefully maintained anonymity also provided some protection for Englishmen expressing provocative opinions. London’s Publick Adveriser published a series of letters penned by “Junius” between 1769 and 1772. Highly critical of King George III’s government, the letters were reprinted by other English and American newspapers, including Annapolis’s own Maryland Gazette, and a two-volume collection gathering the original public letters with additional private missives was published in 1772.

The complete “Junius” letter printed by Mrs. Green on July 4, 1771 takes up almost three full newspaper columns, but the concluding paragraph drives home its argument: George III is responsible for the conduct of his government, and a truly virtuous and honorable king would not stand for the “abandoned Prostitution” of a corrupt Parliament. No wonder “Junius” (whose true identity is still unconfirmed 250 years later) found enthusiastic readers in America.

News out of Williamsburg reported on the aftermath of a recent fight in North Carolina between Governor William Tryon and western backcountry settlers who felt exploited by the colony’s eastern elites. These so-called Regulators were routed by Tryon’s militiamen at the May 16, 1771 Battle of Alamance, which some historians have characterized as a precursor to the coming battles of the Revolutionary War and the deep divisions between future American patriots and loyalists. (As an aside, fans of Outlander will recognize the Battle of Alamance as a pivotal event in the fifth book and TV series).

The week’s Annapolis news article was about a tragic accidental drowning. Ralph Dobinson, clerk of the Prerogative Office under Elie Vallete’s direction, went swimming with two others “in the Cool of the Evening.” One member of the group wasn’t a good swimmer and called for help from the pond. Dobinson jumped in, the two struggled, but only one of them emerged safely from the water. After a search of almost two hours, Dobinson’s lifeless body was discovered near the shore. Bleeding and rubbing with salt failed to revive him. Although not much was known of his background, Ralph Dobinson was kindly remembered for his “many good Qualities and affable Demeanor,…and his untimely Death is universally lamented.”


Let’s all stay safe out there this July 4th!


Read the July 4, 1771 issue of the Maryland Gazette starting here: https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc4800/sc4872/001281/html/m1281-1313.html

Glenn E. Campbell

HA Senior Historian


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