Rebellion 1776

Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel opens during the final, decisive days of the Siege of Boston, a nearly year-long military standoff that marked the start of the American Revolutionary War. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, Patriot militia forces surrounded Boston, trapping the British army within the city. The conflict escalated with the bloody Battle of Bunker Hill, after which the newly formed Continental Army, under General George Washington, maintained the siege. The novel’s plot is driven by the historical turning point of the campaign. On the night of March 4, 1776, Patriot forces secretly fortified Dorchester Heights, a commanding position overlooking Boston and its harbor, using cannons laboriously transported from Fort Ticonderoga. This strategic masterstroke is the “wonderment” Elsbeth witnesses from a rooftop, realizing that the cannons give the Patriots control of the city. Her friend Shube accurately assesses the situation, exclaiming, “The blasted lobsterbacks are penned in!” (19). The move rendered the British position indefensible. Unable to attack the fortified heights, British General William Howe had no choice but to negotiate a withdrawal. On March 17, 1776, the British army evacuated Boston, accompanied by over 1,000 Loyalist civilians—including Elsbeth’s employer, Judge Bellingham—who feared for their lives and property under Patriot rule.