My American History Tour: Freedom Trail, Union Oyster House, and Fenway Park
Never forget this man: JAMES OTIS.
I didn’t write about my day in Boston because we had a late night at Fenway. I spent Wednesday in Rhode Island so just now getting to these posts!
Boston, once the cradle of liberty, does not disappoint when it comes to showing off our fight against tyranny.
I will also discuss my chat with the waiter at the Union Oyster House. The Democrats in Boston are not happy with Massachusetts Democrats and Biden.
Freedom Trail
When you come to Boston you have to go on a guided tour of the Freedom Trail. Your tour guide is a significant person during colonial times.
We visit 11 of the 16 spots since they are close together.
Our tour guide was Henry Knox, a military officer close to General George Washington. Our first president appointed Knox as Secretary of War.
Knox started the tour in Boston Common, the country’s first public park established in 1634 and spans 50 acres.
It was also the title of a great show with Anthony Clark. Do you guys remember Boston Common? Loved that show.
William Blaxton, the first European settler in Boston, owned the land before he sold it to the Puritans in the 1630s. Puritans hanged people in the park for crimes, including witchcraft. The Redcoats used it in war. The people mostly used it for cow grazing until everyone realized the grazing ruined the ground.
I forgot to take a picture of the Massachusetts State House. Architect Charles Bulfinch went to Europe, looked at designs, came back, and designed the famous dome in 1798.
It used to be wood then copper. But like everything else made of copper put outside for a long period of time it turned green.
Now the dome is gold. It was not gold during WWII to save it from potential destruction from bombs.
Park Street Church was founded in 1804 and is across from Boston Common. It was also a place where abolitionists preached against slavery. Edward Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s brother, was a preacher at the church.
Park Street Church is also the debut of the song “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee.”
The Granary Burying Ground is next to the Park Street Church. It has some historic BAMFs buried there: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Paul Revere, James Otis, and the victims of the Boston Massacre. It also has a monument for Benjamin Franklin’s family, including his mother Josiah and Abiah.
Oh, who is James Otis? Otis is a man who openly spoke out for a natural right that would become protected by the 4th Amendment: unlawful search and seizures. Could you imagine what Otis would say about the TSA?
Smuggling was well known in the colonies. The monarchy generally didn’t care until it needed its “revenue.” That’s when the writs of assistance came in, which is a search warrant issued by the monarchy to search and seize a person’s house for illegal and smuggled goods.
Otis hated this idea and at the time he was in charge of prosecuting smuggling crimes! He knew the writs of assistance violated our natural rights.
The man resigned and represented Boston merchants’ for free against the monarchy. He lost, but his speech and views inspired John Adams.
This is why Otis is the father of our 4th Amendment. I wish he was here to challenge the TSA.
Otis is also known for the phrase, “Taxation without Representation is tyranny.”
Otis also preached equality across all races.
King’s Chapel is the first Anglican church in the colonies.
The congregation was founded in 1686 during James II’s reign. The Congregational church was the official religion of Massachusetts at the time.
Yeah, we know what happened about 100 years later! Love that 1st Amendment.
The stone structure we see now came to be around 1749 and was completed in 1754. It became a Unitarian church in 1785. It doesn’t have a steeple because they ran out of money.
We headed to the original site of the Boston Latin School and the Benjamin Franklin statue outside of Old City Hall.
Old City Hall is now a Ruth Chris steakhouse and office space.
The Boston Latin School is the oldest public school in America. It came to be in April 1635, a free school for rich and poor boys. The statue of Franklin stands at the school’s original place. The school is still going strong today.
I didn’t get a picture of the Old Corner Bookstore but right across from it is the Old South Meeting House.
The Old Corner Bookstore has a lot to do with religious freedom because of a woman named Anne Hutchinson. Officials excommunicated her and sent her to Rhode Island for holding unlicensed preaching in her house.
Hutchinson’s house stood in the spot that is now known for The Old Corner Bookstore. Dr. Thomas Crease purchased the building in 1718 and he built the Old Corner Bookstore to become his home and an apothecary shop.
Across the street is the Old South Meeting House where our BAMF founders met and debated the hot topics during the time. The main topic, of course, was freedom!
The Sons of Liberty met here before marching to the harbor and throwing their famous tea party!
The Old State House is where the Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770.
Was it a massacre? No. Humans have used hyperbole forever to hype their causes and make them more sympathetic.
No, I am not taking the Redcoats’ side. But we all know John Adams defended the soldiers successfully (except for two men). They were provoked and surrounded.
Did you know that you could get a get out of jail free card for your first manslaughter?
OK, so get this. If you could prove you could read you could say that you’re a member of the clergy.
Therefore you could get a get out of jail free card. They have to brand you though with the first letter of your crime.
So the two soldiers found guilty of manslaughter had to be branded with the letter M. Therefore if they were charged and found guilty of manslaughter again they had to go to jail.
Anyway, the Old State House is also where Col. Thomas Crafts read out loud the Declaration of Independence on July 18, 1776. This still happens every July 4. Not by Crafts, of course.
They also removed the lion and unicorn from the building and burned them on King Street.
The lion and unicorn, used on the coat of arms of the UK, returned to the building in 1882.
The last site on the guided tour is Faneuil Hall. A lot of founders and others gave their speeches at this building.
The home of free speech. The Cradle of Liberty. The host of America’s first Town Meeting.
FREEDOM.
Colonists heard from Samuel Adams and Otis.
Slave trader Peter Faneuil offered to build a public market house in Boston. Not a lot of people wanted a market house but it eventually happened in 1742. Unfortunately, slave auctions took place there as well.
A fire destroyed it in 1761 but rebuilt it in 1762.
The colonists protested the Stamp Act and Sugar Act there in 1764. It also hosted protests against the occupation of Boston, the Tea Act, and the Townshend Acts.
The Townshend Acts were many taxes passed by the British parliament on goods imported to the colonies.
Faneuil Hall is also the place where people take their American citizenship oaths.
Freedom.
Union Oyster House
Fuzzy was right. You must eat at the Union Oyster House! It is right at the end of the Freedom Trail guided tour. No excuse!
Their lobster roll and cornbread is to die for. Holy moly. I want them again.
Let me tell you about our waiter. I told him we drove to Boston from OKC and stopped at many battlefields. He asked about our gas bills.
I told him I refused to look. LOL.
But then the waiter told us how the Democrats are in for a surprise this year.
The waiter is a Democrat but man oh man. He is ticked off. His friends are ticked off. The Boston mayor wanted to restore all the restrictions this summer, including masks and vaccination cards.
Uprising, baby! The mayor’s approval ratings went down and she changed her mind.
That’s not good enough. The waiter said none of them will ever forget everything since 2020. The destruction caused by the lockdowns and restrictions.
But the waiter and his friends are also ticked at Biden. The gas prices, throwing money at Ukraine, the awful pullout from Afghanistan.
They will not forget. I cannot wait for November.
Fenway Park
No words. The Red Sox have been my AL team since forever because they suffered with us Cubs fans for so long. I love the Red Sox.
First time at Fenway and it was just the bestest! Nothing tops Wrigley but Fenway and the area around it is phenomenal.
I got to see my man J.D. Martinez hit a home run! Plus the RED SOX WON! WOOT!
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Comments
My best friend lived on lower Beacon Street,,, I visited her many, many times,,, back then it was such a wonderful, walk-able city… We always ended up by Quincy Market…
What I remember from the Granary Burial Ground was Mother Goose, so I looked it up.. Seems to be a trick… nonetheless..
https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/9644
TY Mary… Hope you will do a book someday.
‘Otis is also known for the phrase, “Taxation without Representation is tyranny.”’
The opposite is quite true, as well. The tyranny of what is now the majority of non-taxpaying voters. 51% of Americans do not pay any federal income taxes, yet they are allowed to vote. How is this a fair situation? Yes, I chose “fair” for a reason. Fair share comes to mind, doesn’t it?
What a lovely article! I felt like I was right there!
From a diehard Yankee fan-great pictures and commentary!
Thanks, Mary!
My daughter lives in coastal New Hampshire so Boston is a hour drive away. I really like what Boston has to offer.
How long of a trip is it and who is there with you?
Don’t forget to publish your itinerary at the end!
Thanks, great picture and prose, felt like I was there with you.
“If you could prove you could read you could say that you’re a member of the clergy. Therefore you could get a get out of jail free card.”
That’s Massachusetts all over. Massachusetts is the only state I’m aware of that still has an active law on the books against “blasphemy.” All the reps know about it; none will move to repeal it. But they all attend abortion marches and carry signs about “Christo-fascism.”
I participated in a lot of gun-rights demonstrations outside the statehouse. I used to enjoy walking up to couples and groups who were walking the Freedom Trail, and welcoming them with, “Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of the Freedom Trail. The Massachusetts Statehouse is where all your freedoms end.
Yep, hard to believe that MA was one of the original 13.
Same could be said for NY, NJ, CT, DE, MD, CT, RI.
How about a Juneteenth tour? You could visit Roxbury crack houses, Dorchester Ho-tels, Revere methadone clinics, Cedar Junction, welfare offices and token hires at Harvard.
About your conversation with the waiter at Union Oyster House, his comments do provide a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, most of those Democrats who are not evil are crazy.
I think anyone who is not crazy will be, at election time, be strongly swayed by his or her feelings about who can really be trusted. And, in that regard, I think a major factor in that regard for most voters is which candidates can be trusted to preserve the voter’s concept of democracy. Unfortunately, despite the tremendous amount of actual evidence of authoritarianism by Democrat politicians, the voting public is evenly split in its perception of which party will better preserve democracy. See this poll:
https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/06/1440/810/V5.png?ve=1&tl=1
That actually gives me hope for a centrist party…let’s leave all of the loonies and the grifters behind.
Great review of my home base. Sadly though, we’ve gone from the Cradle of Liberty to the likes of leftist nuts like Markey, the Fake Indian (Warren), and John the Fraud Kerry – climate expert (just ask him).
And by the way, our new Mayor, Chairwoman Wu, is a COMMUNIST.
Moving to Florida…
Boston is definitely a town you can do about two-three times (depending on your depth at each thing) and not be out of stuff to do on any of those visits.
It takes some time to get around in motor transportation because it’s so busy. Trolleys tend to have longer than average wait times. That said, it is all worth it because it is a culturally rich city that hasn’t been tainted as badly as some of the other blues. They are still very blue don’t get me wrong, but there is more redeemable aspects there than say NYC, SF, or LA.
The Fenway tour is great, too, if you ever have a chance to go on a non-game day (or away game day) and take that.
Then there’s also the reconstituted Cheers bar across the street from the Common.