In April of last year my good friend and fellow writer C.E. Thornton and I made our first trip up to Boston. We went, originally, to attend a convention that Lora Innes (author/illustrator of The Dreamer - If you're a fan of the American Revolution and you haven't read it, for shame. Go now!) was speaking at. Neither of us had ever been to the city and we instantly fell in love with everything about it.
The Old South Meeting House
We took the Freedom Trail, as so many Americans do when they visit this historical city and made our way through. We found Paul Revere's home, the site of the Boston Massacre, the Old South Meeting House (which, for those that don't know, was the place that Dr. Joseph Warren gave his amazing speech in remembrance of the Boston Massacre, supposedly while wearing a toga ... not that this is one of my favorites or anything...) and so much more.
I believe this was the stage Warren gave his speech from, but it's been redone since then.
We had a fantastic time, but the place that really took hold and refused to let go was Bunker Hill. Out of all the amazing sites that there are to see in a city like Boston, that was the one that we returned to three times within the short weekend stay. Caera (C.E.) said that the visit, especially the one to Bunker Hill, changed her life. I'm incline to agree.
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775 and was one of the earliest battles in the American Revolution. Though they lost the battle, the Americans showed just how hard they were willing to fight that day.
The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull Image via Wikipedia
The Bunker Hill Monument
Bunker Hill was definitely on our list of places we wanted to see in what become known more as our Joseph Warren tour than the trip down Freedom Trail. If you've been on the Freedom Trail, you know that it's quite a trip. I'd managed to throw my knee out by the time that we found the hill and was limping along, but once we made it to the steps everything seemed to wash away. It was breathtaking.
There are certain spots on the hill that you can go, take a seat, and just look straight up. All you see sky. It's amazing to think that you're looking at the same sky as those men that laid their lives down for this country so many years ago. When you stand there, on this little patch of land in the middle of of Charlestown, you're standing in the shadows of some of the greats.
So when it came time to buckle down and get serious about my writing I had some major decisions to make, as all artists do. I had to find something that I could write on regularly, that I would never grow tired of and that I would never lack enthusiasm for. I had to find my voice, my influence, and a clear path as to what I wanted to say. Sometimes I feel like I fumble around with these posts just a little, but in the end it comes down to this: Every day we stand in the shadow of the great men and women who have come before us. Some have laid down their lives and some have simply been willing to. They have spoken, taught, and encouraged those around them. Without them, we could not share in the freedoms that we do. Without following that example, we risk losing those freedoms just as easily.
I have a confession to make that is likely to either make my history-minded friends cringe or laugh. I feel I should make this confession in order to begin this post and to explain where I am coming from on this.
I adore the 1776 musical.
There. I said it. I know it's campy. I know it is, in many ways, historically inaccurate, and it often shows only charactertures of the Founders. There are many flaws to it, I know, but there is something to it that pulls at me and I will always love it.
The latter part of my time in undergrad I was very active in local grassroots movements in politics. I gave everything I had to it, fought the fight (as it were), and struggled to do what I could to make a difference. Here's the second confession of the blogpost: In all of that, there are many times when I feel like, no matter what I gave, it did little good in the grand scheme of things. This is not to say we did not make some changes, but they were local and, in the end, I felt very discouraged when I looked at the big picture.
(This does tie together with the 1776 musical, I promise. )
When you give your all into something, whether it's a political movement, a creative venture such as writing or art, or your career and you feel as if you are either at a standstill or losing ground, no matter the effort you put into it, it can be discouraging. If you lean more to the idealistic side as I do, it can be jarring. You feel as if all that time and effort is wasted and you might as well have simply kept your mouth shut and sat on your hands for all the good it's done you.
I've been there, and it's a struggle not to go back to that place. I think it is because of that I am so encouraged by this campy musical. Oh, it's good enough fun for a few laughs to see John Adams bicker with... well, everyone, and to watch the rest of the founders dance and sing about the heat and the flies, but I've always found something much deeper to it.
There are a couple scenes towards the end in which John is voicing his discouragement to Abigail, feeling as if everything he has fought for, everything he has ever believed in has gone to waste. She says, in so many words, not to forget that he is committed to freedom and to liberty. The scene that follows is one in which he is reading over a letter from Washington that asks "Is anybody there? Does anybody care?" In those words you can hear that low that we have all felt if we have put our all into a cause. It's a terrible feeling, but it's one that can make you stronger if you let it.
I find this scene encouraging, no matter what I feel my commitment slipping in, because even though he feels as if everyone is against him, he feels alone and unheard, there is a passion that reignites within him and he finds that commitment that he's been looking for.
I know this musical is cheesy, but I really feel like it captures, at least here, that terrible, sinking feeling that the Founders must have had at times. (Go back and read some of Washington's letters sometime... Poor man). No matter the odds, no matter the obstacles, commitment is the key. Don't give up and don't give in. We have to realize that even the greats in history were once questioning if their actions meant anything in the whole of the world. Without ideas there is no vision. Without vision there is no call to action. Without call to action, there is no change.
