George R. T. Hewes
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The following paper will tell a story of a shoemaker in Boston during the 1770s recalling events of British arrogance and his participation in, of the now historic “Boston tea Party”. George Hewes, the Boston shoemaker, was over ninety years old when he tells his story to a journalist in 1834. In my paper I hope to enlighten you on the similarities of the action and attitude of John Malcolm
to the importation and sale of tea in the American colonies and why Hewes and his comrades believe their actions were more just, than that of the tea sellers and John Malcolm
First, lets discuss the feelings Britain had for its American colonies at this point in history. Britain at this time looked down at the American colonies; in their eyes they viewed them as inferior to their civilized way of life. They viewed them as savage backwoodsmen that were not worthy of equal treatment. They felt that Britain was all-powerful and showed it in their actions toward the colonists. To sum it all up in a nutshell Britain believed that they were more powerful and intelligent, so they new what was best for the colonies and did not care what the colonists had to say about it.
John Malcolm
was a custom-house officer for the
British government. As a boy, George Hewes (shoemaker) confronts John Malcolm
who states quote “you d—-d rascal, do you presume too , to speak to me?”(p102) where upon young Mr. Hewes is struck in the head with a cane, which in turn results in damaging his hat and a large wound to the forehead. For no reason was this just, but for the shear arrogance of the custom officers ego over what he believes to be a peasant boy to which he owes no respect. This with the same characteristic of the false ego of the tea sales men to force the importation and sale of their products onto the colonists, to which have no say so in the matter, serve as common similarities.
Hewes and his peers believed their actions to be more just than those of Malcolm
and the tea sellers for a couple of reasons. One being that they asked in a civilized way not to bring in the tea, yet they were ignored and the tea was forced upon them