In the decade leading up to the American Revolution, communications among communities in the British colonies were very limited. While there were newspapers being published in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Charleston and other cities, circulation was small and localized so spreading ideas, particularly grievances against George III and his government, were hard to share.
But then along came Samuel Adams who was not just an advocate for reform and ultimately revolution; he was what today we call “a loud activist” . He built a network of like thinkers in Massachusetts towns and later throughout the colonies that he called “Committees of Correspondence” that fostered the exchange of news and ideas among people who knew little of what was going on beyond their own village or plantation. Not easy; no FedEx. Everything came on a horse. It could take weeks to get a copy of a Boston broadsheet reporting on the Stamp Act to Savannah; likewise, news of cotton production in South Carolina might take even longer to reach the north.
Adams got people thinking, writing, and talking about common issues with shared information, strategies to get relief from local governors and the King’s government in London. In her splendid Adams biography, Stacy Schiff documented how the man she titled “The Revolutionary” even got people to use the same terms which made the work of the Continental Congress easier and more understandable to folks in diverse regions.
So too, the We the Seniors initiative being organized now by Seniors Taking Action can help build consensus and cooperation among peers and groups around the country on the critical issues affecting older Americans and the Trump administration’s threats to our democracy. We can share priorities, tactics, successes and even web sites. Most of all, together we can become a louder voice and be heard.
While our effort might not cause a brewery to label a new lager in our honor, we can draw a lot of satisfaction from knowing we are making our views known and our commitment to protect the future of our precious democracy .
This is great news. Thanks to those who organized it. The whole will be greater than the sum of its parts.
Thanks Jeff…. Strength in numbers!
Sam Might Call Us a Committee of Correspondence
In the decade leading up to the American Revolution, communications among communities in the British colonies were very limited. While there were newspapers being published in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Charleston and other cities, circulation was small and localized so spreading ideas, particularly grievances against George III and his government, were hard to share.
But then along came Samuel Adams who was not just an advocate for reform and ultimately revolution; he was what today we call “a loud activist” . He built a network of like thinkers in Massachusetts towns and later throughout the colonies that he called “Committees of Correspondence” that fostered the exchange of news and ideas among people who knew little of what was going on beyond their own village or plantation. Not easy; no FedEx. Everything came on a horse. It could take weeks to get a copy of a Boston broadsheet reporting on the Stamp Act to Savannah; likewise, news of cotton production in South Carolina might take even longer to reach the north.
Adams got people thinking, writing, and talking about common issues with shared information, strategies to get relief from local governors and the King’s government in London. In her splendid Adams biography, Stacy Schiff documented how the man she titled “The Revolutionary” even got people to use the same terms which made the work of the Continental Congress easier and more understandable to folks in diverse regions.
So too, the We the Seniors initiative being organized now by Seniors Taking Action can help build consensus and cooperation among peers and groups around the country on the critical issues affecting older Americans and the Trump administration’s threats to our democracy. We can share priorities, tactics, successes and even web sites. Most of all, together we can become a louder voice and be heard.
While our effort might not cause a brewery to label a new lager in our honor, we can draw a lot of satisfaction from knowing we are making our views known and our commitment to protect the future of our precious democracy .
mort goldfein
Excellent, Mort! Love Sam Adams. You have put We the Seniors in inspirational company!