One of life’s little ironies is that what happened at the Battles of Lexington and Concord is pretty much what happened Two hundred eighteen years later at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco: the duly constituted authorities sent a force to sieze military supplies from suspect civilians and got their butts handed to them.
Maybe if it’s pointed out to them that they’re honoring the ‘David Koresh’ side of the Revolution, the enlightened inhabitants of Massachusetts will re-purpose the holiday to honor the British forces.
Pre-Revolutionary War law-breaking rabble-rousers responsible for destroying over $1.5M worth of the King's tea in Boston Harbor, the burning of the Gaspee, and numerous other acts of violence including Tar & Featherings.
What is Jim Koch trying to imply here?? ;^)
Timeline: Patriots Day and Related Events | ||||
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April 20: Local militias lay siege to the British-occupied city of Boston. Late April: In the days and weeks that followed, local militia continued to gather in Massachusetts from neighboring colonies. |
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June 17: At the Battle of Bunker Hill,Dr. Joseph Warren and Royal Marine Major John Pitcairn are both killed. Although the British capture the position, their heavy casualties against the smaller Colonial force constitutes a loss. |
July 3: A Virginian, George Washington, takes command of the Continental Army in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
1776 |
1837 July 4: Poet Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Concord Hymn" is sung at the ceremony for the completion of the Concord Battle Monument. Generations of American schoolchildren will memorize his lines describing "the shot heard round the world." |
1860 As a divided nation heads toward Civil War, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, another American poet, composes "Tales of a Wayside Inn," including "Paul Revere's Ride," which will also become one of America's most famous poems. |
1894 First observance of Patriot's Day as a Massachusetts state holiday. |
1959 |
Congress establishes Minute Man National Historical Park, encompassing the sites of the Patriot's Day skirmishes in Lexington and Concord. |
1969 |
Patriot's Day is officially designated as the third Monday of April, in the states of Maine and Massachusetts. |
2000 |
April 17: The 225th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord features an especially large parade. |
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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/patriotsday/timeline/index.html |