Rise To Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution

One of the greatest points of misunderstanding between England and the colonies is the king and his generals’ assumption that the might of its army will inspire fear and awe, that the revolution will be die merely by intimidation. That assumption is symbolized by the British military uniforms. As the streets of Boston are filled with red coats (“lobster backs” in colonial parlance), the British see a majestic peacekeeping force; the colonists see the oppression of an empire. Major Pitcairn argues, “They [colonists] understand the grandeur, the might, the history, all that the uniforms symbolize” (245). Pitcairn, however, mistakes fear for awe, and that mistake comes back to haunt him at Lexington and Concord and later, at Breed’s Hill. The power of the uniform is to create a single, hegemonic force, yet it must also inspire individual pride. When Washington tours the militia camps, he is pleased to see the uniforms of an army.

When Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson’s personal correspondence—requesting additional British troops to suppress the rebellion—falls into Franklin’s lap, he passes the letters on to colonial leaders as a warning. Franklin requests the letters not be made public, but Adams publishes them anyway, a choice, he feels, between the lesser of two evils. The results are twofold and, predictably, dissimilar. The colonists see a traitor in their midst, a man appointed to govern with the best interests of his constituency in mind but is a puppet of the crown. The British, on the other hand, see an egregious violation of personal property. The scandal is a testament to the fundamental right of privacy versus the right of a country to protect itself.