The First American Revolution

An historian details in his new book the little-known story of the revolution before the Revolution.

Exclusive To American Free Press

By F.C. Blahut

Armed American farmers, fed up with rules and regulations from far-away London, resist British control of the colonies. Must be 1776 and the uprising engendered by the Founding Fathers—right?

Not so, says Ray Raphael in The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord.

The reason the American Revolution succeeded, says Raphael, is because the colonists were primed for a break with the “mother country.”

The author bases his theory of revolution before gun-toting farmers gathered at Lexington and Concord and years before “Big Names” gathered in Philadelphia to consider drafting a Constitution on the early history of New England—principally Massachusetts.

Every student of history knows that the seeds of revolt were sown in the northeastern colonies. But what has been lost to history, according to Raphael, is the chronology of unrest among many unnamed patriots who resisted British regulations and gave hope to other colonies.

Long before Lexington and Concord, says the author, colonists in the northeast took the law into their own hands, confusing British administrators who could not even conceive of going against the dictates of the Crown.

Raphael follows a chronological sequence of events to explain why the colonists were ready to back a revolution against Britain. Indeed, he says that an American revolution had already started when the famous “names” every schoolchild is taught jumped on the bandwagon and—as history shows—took over.

The author starts with an introduction of the people of northeast America to acquaint the reader with the political and philosophical milieu of the last quarter of the 18th century in the New World. Immediately, one gets the impression—correctly—that all is not well between the colonists and the Crown.

He then goes on to explain—in detail—the Revolution of 1774. Yes, there was a revolution before the Revolution. No wonder people such as Sam Adams and Thom as Jefferson knew they had a ready audience.

Although the Revolution of 1774 was a lost cause—disorganized and lacking proper leadership among other failings—Raphael makes a good case for it being the real beginning of the Revolution (“R” capitalized).

Those interested in America before it was the United States of America will enjoy this trip through history. And don’t forget to read the Epilogue titled Why the Story Has Not Been Told in which Raphael offers his explanation why today’s school children are told about 1776 and not 1774.

We won’t give away the “secret.” But it’s worth the read—not just for historians, but all Americans.

The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord (Item #1040, hardcover, 273 pages) by Ray Raphael is available from First Amendment Books, 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20003. Call 1-888-699-NEWS to order by Visa or MasterCard. Regular price is $28.95. AFPRC members pay just $25.