American Grassroots Politics
Monday, June 25th, 2007FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey and President Matt Kibbe have written a great article on grassroots political movements in American history.
One of the best excerpts is this one:
Adams was the first American to recognize that “it does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.†In the early 1750s, Adams began recruiting activists to the cause of liberty, targeting men in taverns, and workers in the shipyards and shops of Boston. He also succeeded in recruiting wealthy businessmen like John Hancock to his cause because of the abusive trade and tax policies of the British government.
Samuel Adams’ tactics often involved anti-tax protests under the Liberty Tree, a large elm across from Boylston Market. Tax collectors were hung in effigy, and the Crown-appointed governor mocked. Adams also organized boycotts of British goods and town hall meetings at Faneuil Hall, packing the room with patriots so that Tory voices were not heard. Every new policy handed down by George III and the House of Commons was used to build the ranks of the Sons of Liberty. Taxes imposed by the Stamp act of 1765, trade duties created by the Townshend Acts – each was an excuse to rally new recruits to the cause of American independence.
