Boston’s Freedom Trail: A deep dive into the American Revolution
It’s too hot to be dressed in colonial fashion—waistcoat, breeches, cravat, tricorne hat—but our guide isn’t concerned about the heat. He’s impassioned about the history of Boston and the role the capital of Massachusetts played in the American war for independence.
The expansive Boston Common, the oldest city park in downtown Boston, is our first stop on the Freedom Trail, an iconic 2.5-mile stretch that leads to 16 significant historic sites, including the park, churches, burial grounds and meeting houses. Founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers and named after Boston in Lincolnshire, England, the city was the site of several events central to the American Revolution and subsequent Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
These include the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773), Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride (1775), the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775), and the Siege of Boston (1775–1776). The Freedom Trail, preserved by the citizens of Boston in 1951, celebrates the city’s history and tells the story of the American war for independence.
“Founded in 1634, Boston Common was used as a military camp by the British Redcoats; it’s where they set out for the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Years later, the colonial militia readied for the Revolution in this very park," says Jacob Quincy, our niftily-dressed guide.
“The Common is where George Washington, John Adams and General Lafayette came to celebrate our independence." History is everywhere in Boston—the buildings and cemeteries, the markers and statues, even in the pubs. A sign outside a welcoming pub declares, “Sam Adams drank here, Paul Revere ate here, you should too!" The local Samuel Adams beer is far too inviting for most people to pass up on a
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