250th Anniversary of the American Revolution

Most famous for his elegant signature on the Declaration of Independence, John Hancock lived a life near the political center of Boston. His wealth and popularity led to a highly successful political career and a place as one of the Founders of the United States.

Harry Dana procured a unique assortment of letters from the American Revolution, largely related to George Washington’s time in his Cambridge headquarters. Now in the collections of Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, these letters provide insight into what people chose to “intrust to a Letter."

As the first victim of the Boston Massacre, Crispus Attucks became a symbol of the Black freedom struggle in the United States.

Jamaica Jones enlisted in Boston, Massachusetts, and was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Radical? Virtuous Puritan? Demagogue? Perhaps all of these. Whatever one may think of Samuel Adams, it must be conceded that he stood as, above all else, an ardent patriot.

In 1873, Lucy Stone spoke in front of a crow of 3,000 individuals at Faneuil Hall. Her words would energize the women's rights movement not only in Boston, but throughout the United States.

In the decades following the Battle of Bunker Hill, Americans created a shared story of this significant moment in the founding of the United States. When the land of the original battlefield came up for sale in the 1820s, Bostonians decided to build a permanent addition to the Boston landscape that commemorated this event. The building of the Bunker Hill Monument took decades of work and cost thousands of dollars.

When news of the Stamp Act reached Bostonians in spring of 1765, they opposed the new tax on paper documents. Reacting through the written word and physical violence, Bostonians played a significant role in the repeal of the Stamp Act before it came in effect.

Amongst the Revolutionary leaders of Boston, few possessed the fervent passion of Samuel Adams.

Primus Hall served his country and his community in the Revolutionary War and beyond.