The Men of Freedom: Dr. Samuel Prescott
This installment begins on April 18th, 1775, the night that Paul Revere and William Dawes commence their famous rides into the countryside. Their plan was to warn their fellow defenders of liberty that the British Regulars were coming "by sea" to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock in Lexington and to seize powder and cannon in Concord. Come with me as I take you from Boston's North End out to Lexington and Concord on what is now called Battle Road.
Along the way I'll introduce you to the first of four "Men of Freedom," I'm focusing on in this review of the original Patriot's Day. Dr. Samuel Prescott, a name you probably haven't heard before and won't ever learn much about because so little is known about him. But a man who represents the virtues of masculine self-sacrifice that our current culture could benefit from.
We need more other-focused service and less self-serving narcissism from our public figures. But luckily, there are millions of masculine men—41% of American men right now—who have developed the virtues of masculinity and are quietly and steadfastly contributing to the welfare of their families, their communities, and their very nations. The world needs more Dr. Samuel Prescotts and we'll all benefit from learning more about him.
Resources:
I can’t recommend Nathaniel Philbrick’s Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution highly enough. It ends with Bunker Hill but covers the decade before it thoroughly. Does not disappoint.
Of course, you can enjoy David McCullough’s 1776. He covers more than Boston, provides a lot more background on the major characters from outside the area, including George Washington.
A lesser-known book, The Road to Concord, is a gem, written by J.L. Bell, a local writer whose blog Boston 1775 is an indispensable resource when studying the events of revolutionary Massachusetts.
The Concord Museum opened its revamped exhibit on the events of April 19, 1775 in 2021. This is reason enough to come to Boston just to see this exhibit. Follow the detailed timeline of the events of that day in this remarkable and informative interactive exhibit.
Specific to this episode, you can learn more about the Paul Revere Lantern, the Concord Museum, and Dr. Samuel Prescot—specifically how little we really know about him—from the following resources:
https://concordmuseum.org/collection/paul-revere-lantern/
https://historicaldigression.com/2014/04/19/the-myth-of-samuel-prescott-the-third-midnight-rider/
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