Xinshun 1730

Chapter 1329 The Story of Weakness
"Welcome to the new brother!"

The people inside stretched out their hands to him as a sign of welcome.

Hancock resisted the physical nausea and discomfort—if he saw McIntosh on the street, he might not say hello, after all, the hooligans on South Street in Boston belonged to McIntosh , and the uncle also asked him to help smash other people's shops.

However, the key point is that the previous style was too high, and the sense of ritual was too strong, holding oneself to be with the mysterious, world-affecting, and ancient truths, such as Franklin, the Attorney General, the Duke of Norfolk, etc. The mentality of a big man calling him a brother...

Against this backdrop, it was always eerie to see a Macintosh who was sure to greet me on the street.

Of course, Hancock was still young at this time.

He didn't know that the later history, or the original history, the people gathered here today will interpret the essence of "Your uncle will always be your uncle, and those who are made with mud will always be made with mud".

For example, Hancock, who joined the association relatively late, became the grand master of the Massachusetts Freemasonry.

For example, at this time, Mackintosh, who had joined the club very early, was encouraged to take hooligans to smash and loot, burn down the post office, dump the tea, and finally died poorly, going to the workhouse to work as a watchman.On the tombstone after his death, the name was not written correctly, it was written as Philip, but in fact his name was Ebenezer.

It was he who led the people to smash the post office and burn down the house of the bill dealer after the "Printing Tax Act" was introduced.

It was he who led people to tie the bill dealer Andrew Oliver to the "Liberty Tree" and beat him half to death.

It was he who organized people to smash and loot in Boston, completely disrupting the law and order in Boston.

But also because of his low social status and poverty, he began to criticize some wealthy businessmen who ordered him to smash it afterwards, because in the end, he [beyond the tame protests that the wealthy class wanted, and spread the fire of dissatisfaction at the bottom to the The wealthy businessman who instigates tame protests behind his back... When the protests are no longer tame and controllable, then his loyalty is questioned].

So, from the very beginning [wise masculinity], [the great Ebenezer], [a great man who rationally destroys other people's property in order to protect the sacred ownership of property]...

Gradually, it became "the inmate of the debt slave prison", "the old man who worked watch on the workhouse farm", "Philip whose name was wrongly written on the tombstone"...

Of course, this story is very boring, and it will continue to be staged in the future.The name of the performance is generally called "XX's Weakness".

To put it simply, the people behind it are instigating the fire, and when the fire really burns and cannot be controlled, and it may burn to themselves, they rush to suppress it.

Even hundreds of years later, similar stories are still exactly the same, such as Capitol Hill.

At this time, Mackintosh's story is based on August 1766, 8 as the watershed.

On August 8, he led people to smash the bill merchant's house and burned the stamped bills.

Samuel Adams, praised him [After trying all methods to protect personal property, he has no choice but to protect personal property from infringement by rationally destroying property, which is a great cause]

On August 8, the situation got out of control, and more poor and low-level people stood up and began to burn the house of the deputy governor, attacking the houses of the deputy governor, celebrities, and big businessmen.The British attitude turned tough and announced that it would suppress it by force.

Samuel Adams immediately reversed his attitude, angrily denouncing him as a "thug", "disgusting", [lawless attacks on personal property will destroy the cornerstone of all freedom]

When Mackintosh "had the highest prestige among the common people of Boston, and began to lash out at the rich; when his leadership could lead a crowd by a whisper or a gesture, and make two thousand men walk neatly in two lines" when.

It is inevitable for him to enter the "debt slave prison" to work hard to pay off his debts, and finally to the fate where the name on the tombstone after death is wrongly written.Because he started attacking those wealthy businessmen gradually, and he could really command 2000 people, and these people were not the army, but just the angry crowd of civilians.

Now, of course, Hancock would not know that he, a junior who joined the membership so late, would eventually become the head of the Massachusetts state, and he would be invited to be the first to sign the Declaration of Independence.

What's more, they don't know that those seniors with low property status at this time will have a bad fate in the future, or they will work as guards on the farm, or die in battle, or don't even have a tombstone after death.

At this time, he was only a little physically uncomfortable and nauseated due to the reality gap after being overly excited and expecting too much.

Of course, it's not just shoemakers like Mackintosh, or silversmiths like Paul Levi, these craftsmen with low property status.

Hancock also felt a little contemptuous of John Rowe, such a slave trader.

His uncle hadn't sold slaves very much in recent years, but John Rowe still sold slaves now, and John Rowe had a bad reputation among the big businessmen in Boston: many people called him "little man".Because other people sell slaves in public, but he always talks in private, asking the other party to quote a first-hand price, and often sells at a lower price.

Of course, later history also proved that this is a villain.He also participated in the tea party and went to the meeting, but when he returned home at night, he wrote in his diary that he was unwell and lay at home for a whole day. Later, he made his diary public, trying to prove that he had nothing to do with the tea party. No.Moreover, during the period of the American Revolutionary Armed War, the trade between the two sides not only sold goods to the United States, but also sold goods to the British side.

But now...

Shoemakers, silversmiths, lawyers, doctors, slave traders, merchants, brewers, captains, etc. People of different classes and classes gather here. In name, everyone is a brother of the Freemasonry.

According to the rules of the society, [In our temple, we do not recognize any other grades except those between virtue and vice].

It doesn't matter whether you are a villain or not, since you have joined the association, you are obviously a person with a pure soul, and you are a brother in a high-profile small circle who can accommodate the highest truth with a pure soul, educate all mankind, and teach mankind to distinguish between good and evil .

Although Hancock felt a little disgusted after the comparison, he still shook hands with these people according to the Masonic rules he had just learned.

Then, as the last one to join the association at this time, he sat on his chair according to the posture of these Freemasons.

"Little brother, now you have become a member of the Freemasonry. Everyone here is your brother, and will strictly abide by the rules of the Freemasonry and keep all the secrets of the Freemasonry."

"We've heard about you from Warren. So, now, you should be honest and honest with us about what happened in the Bahamas."

"Those heretics, what did they tell you again? What is their purpose? How do they view the trade issue between Britain and the thirteen states?"

At least at this time, these people in Massachusetts, the anti-British sentiment is not so strong.

The implementation of the sugar tax law at this time is equal to zero. On the legal level, it can indeed be regarded as the British government collecting taxes without representation, but on the actual material level, this tax cannot be collected at all-just like some sayings in later generations: Theoretically, Daming also levied a tea tax.

Slave traders and smugglers like John Rowe are more sensitive to the taxation of sugar and wine.

And craftsmen like Paul Levi—this is the brilliance of Samuel Adams later, who abstracted specific tax issues into abstract freedom—these abstract things are the craftsmen’s main Small producers can burst with enthusiasm.

As for these craftsmen who really went on the road of anti-British, it was not until the European economic depression after the end of the Seven Years War in history and the most stringent "Coinage Act" at the end of 63 that banned New England banknotes that they really went economically. .

It is still the same simple truth, the economic system of New England, and the reality of small farmers extending inwards, and the reality of big merchants controlling the smuggling of gold and silver, can only rely on banknotes to circulate internally, because he has neither gold nor silver. It is in line with European trade; it is different from the European-oriented plantation economy of the southern states.

The plantation economy has European gold and silver in its hands, and must participate in world trade. The demand for the plantation industry in the internal market is too small.

However, the tradition of self-cultivating farmers before New England made many industries self-sufficient, and paper money can also be used theoretically, at least among the people as a medium.The key is for artisans and farmers, where to get precious metal currency?

The mint law requires that New England discard paper money and use gold and silver coins, which is tantamount to killing these petty bourgeois small producers and artisans.

Things here need to be looked at separately.Slave traders and smugglers were sensitive to the sugar tariff, while artisans were sensitive to the postwar depression and paper money reform.

Plus, at this time, the French were still in Canada, and there had been the Acadian expulsion fearing revenge; the Indians were ambushing their militia in the forest...

At this time, their anti-British sentiments were really not very radical, but more about economic and religious issues.

Now, what everyone cares about is that John Hancock came into contact with the Dashun group in the Bahamas. What exactly is the Dashun group going to do?
This is a great opportunity to get involved in politics.At the very least, the Freemasons should reach a consensus and determine what kind of attitude they should take when facing the issue of Dashun.

The current situation is somewhat magical and disturbing.

The British navy has begun to shrink back to the strait, and the smuggling in North America is completely messed up, and it can't be controlled at all.

But behind this, the hidden danger is whether the French will fight back?Will there be revenge?

Dashun and the French navy, if Britain is defeated, will many British people flee to North America?At that time, what about religious issues, Congregationalists and Quakers, nobles, and kings?
What should be the attitude towards war in North America, New England, or Massachusetts?Is it possible for the Chinese to land in North America together with the French?

These issues concern everyone present.And once the worst happens, they have to consider one thing: if they do not accept the group of people from the UK whose strait was breached and fled here, they will not be able to resist the French and Indians; if they accept it, then land issues, legal issues , what should I do?
This, of course, is the worst case scenario.

In the worst case, it depends on Dashun's attitude, because the French are unable to cross the strait by themselves, or even increase their troops in North America.

And if... Dashun just wants to trade, or, as the rumors say, is practicing free trade... Then, North America can naturally contact Dashun in private, and rely on China's self-respect to reach an agreement in the British Parliament Some requests that have been unable to be fulfilled.

(End of this chapter)