Barnstable's Role in the Revolutionary War

James Otis Jr. (1725-83)

James Otis Jr. is credited with popularizing the phrase “no taxation without representation”!

He was born in West Barnstable, and graduated from Harvard in 1743.  In 1761, he was hired to challenge the British Writs of Assistance (laws that granted the authorities the power to enter any, home without advance notice, and without need for probable cause or to give any reasons for entry) before the Massachusetts Superior Court in Boston. He lost the case, but he inspired revolution. President John Adams wrote 50 years later that when Otis Jr. spoke “Independence was born … The seeds of Patriots & Heroes … were then & there sown.”

Otis Jr. was also a leader of the Stamp Act Congress (which met in NYC in 1765 to discuss challenging British taxation).  He believed in equality (at least for all men), writing that all “are by the law freeborn,” and that African Americans should enjoy the same freedoms of life, liberty, and property. 

Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814)

James Otis Jr.’s younger sister, Mercy was a tour de force in her own right, and was quietly very Influential.  She wrote eloquently in favour of the Patriot cause, but also voiced concerns about the potential dangers of a new republic.  Her astute criticisms of the weaknesses in the newly drafted U.S. Constitution paved the way for the Bill of Rights.  She also laid a foundation for future discussions on women’s rights.  Her book on the American Revolution was the first comprehensive history book written by a woman in the United States.

Barnstable’s Response to the Boston Pamphlet (1772)

Samuel Adams (a cousin of President John Adams), was a leader in the revolution, and a signatory of the Declaration of Independence). He petitioned the Selectmen of Boston  for a meeting to  prepare a pamphlet letter to other Massachusetts towns. In Barnstable, a town meeting was called and (Colonel) James Otis Sr., (Major) James Otis Jr., Daniel Davis, Edward Bacon, Nymphas Marston, Eli Phinney, Ebenezer Jenkins and Captain David Smith were appointed to a committee to consider the pamphlet.

The Barnstable response was essentially one of caution, advising that Barnstable residents seek redress in accordance with the (British) Constitution, and ask that their grievances be heard by the British.

Protest At The Old Colonial Courthouse

On September 27, 1774, 1500 people gathered outside the courthouse protesting the Massachusetts Government Act which essentially removed the States’ previous near-complete local autonomy, and other acts such as the use of Bills of Attainder (laws that declared persons guilty of a crime without trial).  The protest was successful, and resulted in Barnstable agreeing to ignore the British Parliament’s new rules, effectively liberating Barnstable from British control.

Crocker Tavern

(Built c. 1751)

The tavern at 3095 Main Street, was a meeting place for American Patriots before and during the Revolutionary War.