Shoemaker and the Revolution
Alfred F. Young shows us a glimpse of the American Revolution through the eyes of George Robert Twelves Hewes, a poor shoemaker of the "Humble Class". What do we know about Hewes? Why is it that he is honored when the rest of his associates have been forgotten? What compelled Hewes to explore the chaotic world of Politics? And why is he remembered as a hero? Hewes played a vital role throughout the Revolution. We read three major events in which he participated, in Young's The Shoemaker and The Tea Party. The three major events shaped the Revolution, and have influenced Americans for hundreds of years. "He was a nobody who briefly became a somebody in the Revolution and, for a moment the end of his life, a hero". To understand Hewes ambition and determination one must start from his youth. Hewes was born in Boston in 1742, and was the sixth of nine children. He was unusually short, five feet, one inch. Hewes received very little fortune from his family. His father (a soap boiler), died when he was seven, leaving his family poor and in debt. His mother was a very strict woman, showing almost no love or affection, and often whipping him for his disobedience. Because of such lowe
Finally, in1834, ninety-three years after his birth he received the recognition he deserved, when James Hawke's A Retrospect of the Boston Tea Party was published. Hewes was one of the "last surviving members" of the Tea Party. Hewes was brought back to Boston where he was the guest of honor on Independence Day. For the first time in his life he was a somebody, a supreme being, a hero. Hewes had both his personal and political concerns about the Invasion of the four thousand British soldiers in 1768. We know by now that Hewes was gaining political consciousness, but could this be the reason why he is set in the "thick of the action"? Hewes had many reasons to disprove of the soldiers presence in Boston. We read of one account when a British soldier, Captain Thomas Preston, cheats Hewes when he picks up his shoes (from the shop) and doesn't pay for them. We can also see his political concerns when the soldiers moonlighted, taking work form civilians. As a citizen, it was time to take a stand and support his fellow townsmen.
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Approximate Word count = 1451
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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