A Rival Green
Boston Common, referred to as a "trayning field," was a significant site during the American Revolution. Over 1,000 Redcoats camped there during the British occupation of Boston in 1775, and it was from the Common that three brigades embarked on the fateful trip to Lexington and Concord, where they encountered militia on the Lexington Green. John Hancock's mansion overlooked the Common, and his wife, Dorothy Quincy Hancock, entertained 300 naval officers during Admiral D’Estaing’s fleet visit in 1778.
The Hancocks contributed to the Common by providing a large cask of Madeira wine and fireworks for the 1765 Stamp Act repeal celebration and building a bandstand in 1771. Boston Common has served as a place for public oratory and discourse, hosting significant events related to the American Revolution.
Stories from Boston Common
At dawn on April 19, 1775, an unknown shot shattered the silence in Lexington. British Redcoats and colonial militia clashed, leaving blood on the field. In Concord, the patriots struck back, and as the British retreated, gunfire hounded them to Boston, thus sparking the American Revolution
A wealthy merchant and political leader from Massachusetts, Hancock was a key figure in the American Revolution, serving as president of the Second Continental Congress, signing the Declaration of Independence, and later serving as governor of Massachusetts.
A monumental structure built in 1742, Faneuil Hall served as one of the most important sites of civic engagement in colonial Boston. Since, it has hosted the likes of revolutionary leaders and dissidents.