Most Americans are aware that the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Massachusetts.
And who doesn’t remember learning about that famous revolutionary rebellion in Massachusetts–the Boston Tea Party.
Some might even recall the story about Col. Knox transporting the guns (canons) from Ticonderoga over ice and snow on sleds and how the Patriots took Dorchester Heights in the middle of the night shocking the British the next morning (who’d been sleeping at Boston’s harbor below). That is a story made for movies.
And who doesn’t enjoy the historic tale of Paul Revere and his amazing Boston ride. In our minds we see him swinging the lantern and calling out as he dashes through the countryside, through the creeks and down the village streets. “The Red Coats are coming!” Or,maybe we remember it as, “The British are coming!” Whatever the case, the ride was immortalized by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem titled Paul Revere’s Ride. The poem has become one of the best known in American history and was memorized by generations of schoolchildren.
There is no actual record of Mr. Revere’s words or message as he rode, but apparently, there is tell of the horse upon which he rode that went by the name of Brown Beauty.
Last week, another “Brown” rode through the streets of the Bay State. But this time, it wasn’t a horse. It was a man, with a dream, and a truck, in a race that would lead to a U.S. Senate seat. Just like the small, unruly band of farmers, fishermen and store owners that were determined to take on the Super Power of the world, Scott Brown accomplished nothing short of a miraculous ride himself that ended not in Lexington, but the Capitol building in Washington D.C.
In truth, the state of Massachusetts continues to play a dramatic role in America’s history and her politics. With voters numbering one Republican for every three Democrats, what happened on January 20th came as quite a shock. To not only our nation, but to the world.
I hope that these stories will help you take a fresh look at whatever great power or unthinkable odds you might be facing today. If folks who took the challenge 200 years ago (let alone last week) could beat the odds, so can you. The journey will not be easy. It usually isn’t lined with gold or convenient refreshment stands to greet you every mile, but if you just hold on, and fight to the end, the victory can be yours.
Just my thoughts.
S.
clips that received over 500,000 views the week of this particular election
It’s the People’s Seat
other clips…
New York Times clip
Chris Matthews clip
