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Introduction
Life without Liberty
“Who can prize life without Liberty?” That was the question
posed by John Morin Scott (1730-1784), founder of the New York Sons
of Liberty, as he waited for the American Revolution to reach the city
in November 1775. After shots rang out at Lexington and Concord months
earlier, the likelihood that a full-blown war might tear through the
colonies increased. The situation was especially tense in New York,
where the political turmoil fueled disorder. Colonial grievances smoldered
in a population rich with both Whigs and Tories. Mobs in the streets
and British war ships off shore threatened the city from both inside
and out. As fear mounted, Scott watched storefronts shutdown and homes
abandoned. War began to seem inevitable, a shift recorded in this letter
fragment (GLC09061) from Scott to Richard Varick (1753-1831), the future
mayor of New York, among whose papers this last and only surviving page
was preserved.
Scott captures the flight of a panicked citizenry and alludes to the
rise of the Whigs in the newly elected Second New York Provincial Congress,
of which he was a member. The most pressing news came from across the
Atlantic: “Nothing – from t’other side of the Water
but a fearful looking for of Wrath.” This was a veiled reference
to the rejection of the Continental Congress’s Olive Branch Petition
— a last-ditch, direct appeal to King George III for reconciliation
through the repeal of the Intolerable Acts. In Scott’s eyes, the
petition’s failure meant war. He accurately predicted a campaign
would begin against New York the following summer and welcomed the fight
with an answer to his own question: “Who can prize life without
Liberty? - It is a Bauble only fit to be thrown away.”
Robert Lee, Manuscript Cataloger
Gilder Lehrman Collection
Transcript
John Morin Scott to Richard Varick
New York, New York, 15 November 1775.
Autograph letter signed, 1 page.
Every Office shut up almost but Sam: Jones’s who will
work for 6) a day & Live accordingly – All Business
stagnated the City half deserted for fear of a Bombardment
– A new Congress elected – Those for new York,
You will see by – the papers are changed for the better
– All staunch Whigs now – How it is with the Counties
I know not we have [text loss] Returns – Yesterday the
new Congress was to meet but I believe they did not make a
House – my Doctors say I must not attend it nor any
other Business in some Weeks; but I hope they will be mistaken
– Nothing – from t’other side of the Water
but a fearful looking for of Wrath – Our continental
petition most probably contemned the Bulk of the Nation (it
is said agt. Us) and a bloody – Campaign next Summer
– But let Us be prepared for the worst – Who can
prize life without Liberty? - It is a Bauble only fit to be
thrown away – Lewis whom has returned to College after
Vacation desired to be remembered to You – Mrs Scott
& my Daughter do the same I am sorry your Generals most
unfortunate Sickness has not permitted You to gratify that
Ardor You have expressed for the Service of your Country –
All your relations – are well – Your Uncle McAdam
is my neighbor for the – Winter – We are very
friendly for opposites in politics – This is a long
Letter for the first after returning from death’s Door
Adieu most affectionately
Jn:o Morin Scott
Greenwich 15.th Nov.r 1775
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Item Description and Credits
GLC 09061, Autographed letter
from John Morin Scott to Richard Varick, 15 November 1775.
For more information or to obtain copies, contact Ana Ramirez-Luhrs
at reference@gilderlehrman.com
or call (212) 787-6616 ext. 209.
Suggested Reading
Countryman, Edward. A People In Revolution: The American Revolution
and Political Society In New York, 1760-1790. New York, New York:
W.W. Norton, 1989.
Dillon, Dorothy Rita. The New York Triumvirate: A Study of The
Legal and Political Careers of William Livingston, John Morin Scott,
William Smith, Jr. New York, New York: Columbia University Press,
1949.
Ketchum, Richard M., Divided Loyalties: How the American Revolution
Came to New York. New York, New York: Henry Holt, 2002.
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