When Aaron Hart informed Elijah Clarke about the action of the Continental Congress, Elijah directed the members of the militia group to assemble at his house the following weekend. When they did so, they also brought news of Bunker Hill. The men discussed these developments with different reactions. Elijah said, “Shit, we’ve taken all we can and it’s time we got out from under the Redcoats once and for all. All the bastards in London want out of us is taxes and profits from trade with the damned Indians.”

Aaron Hart, who was reluctant to contradict Clarke, replied, “As our delegates said, it’s not King George that’s at fault, but the Parliament and the ministers he’s put in power. What we need to do is convince him that we have good reason to be dissatisfied. Besides, who is going to rule in the colonies, the French and Spanish? They’re already doing everything they can to take over and are sure to move in if the British leave. A few Minutemen won’t be able to fight them off.”

“Well, I reckon we can give the king one more chance, but in the meantime we need to get ready here and in all the colonies to help the patriots when the time comes.”

•  •  •

In Wrightsborough, the discussions had a different focus. There was almost total loyalty to the crown and to Parliament, and a condemnation of the colonists in Massachusetts for resorting to violence. In Quaker meetings, the custom was that any man could state his views without interruption or time constraint, and Joseph Maddock voiced a common opinion.

“Like all of us, the people up north pledged or affirmed before God that they would be loyal to the crown, and this means to the entire government in England. We can never forget that it was the royal governor who granted us this very land, and we know that British troops are protecting us from both the Indians and also from a possible invasion by the French from the west. The king has called on people in all the colonies to help pay the expenses of these efforts to protect us, but it’s well known that we have not paid our share. There’s never been an example in history where a colony has broken ties with a mother country and benefited from it. I agree that the Parliament has made some mistakes with the Stamp Act and the Townshend Act, but they repealed them when made to realize their errors through peaceful persuasion.