The Worcester Revolution of 1774

In September of 1774, 4,622 militiamen lined both sides of Worcesters Main Street and forced the British Crowns appointed court officials to walk the gauntlet, hats in hand, reciting their recantations over 30 times a piece. This dramatic display ended British authority in Worcester County a year and half before the shot heard around the world. This event signaled the beginning of Americas revolution.

Join historian Ray Raphael as he discusses the rich story of Worcesters 1774 Revolution and his groundbreaking book The First American Revolution: Before Lexington and Concord. Mr. Raphaels extensive research sheds light on this often overlooked episode in American history and reasserts Worcesters key role as the heart of American resistance. This program is part of a larger series, held throughout 2014, to honor Worcesters role in the American Revolution and includes the first-ever reenactment of the expelling of the British from Worcester this September.

Ray Raphael is a Senior Research Fellow at Humboldt State University, California. His seventeen books include Founding Myths: Stories That Hide Our Patriotic Past, A People's History of the American Revolution, Mr. President: How and Why the Founders Created a Chief Executive, and most recently Constitutional Myths: What We Get Wrong and How to Get It Right.

This program is sponsored in part by