April 18, 1775
All best wishes to everyone on this Easter weekend.
250 years ago was a momentous moment is the history of the United States. On the 250th anniversary, at the Old North Church in Boston, Heather Cox Richardson talked about the events leading later to the United States of America. I am a subscriber to her commentary (I highly recommend subscribing) and I share here what she had to say on April 18, 2025.
Below is a snapshot I took of Old North Church in June, 1972.
Old North Church Boston, June 1972 (Dick Bernard)
The google map link of the church and area (which includes a panoramic overhead view centered on Old North Church, is here (caution and suggestions: go to this link last as you may be unable to go back to the post; also, to have the panoramic tour of the area, hover your cursor over the red marker showing Old North Church),
Personal Privilege: my father’s ancestry was 100% French-Canadian which means I’m 50%. His last French ancestor to arrive in Quebec was Francois Collet, who arrived in Quebec in 1757 (St. Vallier), and as a 16 year old was likely attached to the French military. The military connection was short. In 1759, the British defeated the French at Plains of Abraham, Quebec City, thus beginning the English regime in Canada. Only 18 years later came the events in Boston which led to the United States of America.
At the time I visited Boston in 1972 I really had no idea of my own French ancestry, or how inter-connected were the events in Quebec and in New England. and didn’t actually visit my ancestral home country of Quebec until a 1982 visit there with my Dad and four others. (My first French ancestor in Canada was Jean Nicolet, who arrived in 1618, 157 years before 1775.)
POSTNOTE: There is plenty more to write about, concerning current events and their implications. These can wait till after Easter. If you want an early start, I did posts on April 15 (Taxes) and 18 (Watch). There are several more in the works in the next few weeks, and probably others not yet in mind. A reflection piece is planned for Easter Sunday.
COMMENTS (more at end)
from Fred: I read it earlier and also endorse it. She did a terrific job. We all know the story but she reconstructed so well. Actually, it brought tears to my eyes.
We read again Longfellow’s famous poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride.” I think we memorized that first stanza in grade school. Later on, it was the first part of the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution. This is as close as we come, as Americans, to a shared scripture. That was Lincoln’s observation—not original with me.