Two Faces of a Movement: Part One: violent nonviolence

» BuckyRea - violent nonviolence

I would think another critical factor in the bloodless character of property violence among the Boston mobs in the 60s was the incredible level of control they were willing to grant to McIntosh (who took his directions from Adams). This was still a highly deferential society and Adams, thru his political machine, exercised great control over the mob's actions, as when they tore Hutchinson's house down to the ground but hurt no one who lived there. I find this mob-self-control fascinating for the level of discipline it must have required. This was no band of Cleveland football fans.

But the Boston story, as you point out, was no accident protests all up and down the coast avoided hurting their neighbors foolish enough to sign up as Stamp men. What to you attribute this to? Why and how were the early Americans able to abstain from bloodshed and avoid vicious clampdown from Parliament in the early stages of the protest movement?

-- posted by BuckyRea