Rise To Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution

Jeff Shaara

67 pages 2-hour read

Jeff Shaara

Rise To Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2001

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Character List

Meet the key characters, with insights into their roles, motivations, and relationships—spoiler-free.

Major Characters

John Adams is a stoic, highly educated farmer and attorney living in Braintree and Boston. He firmly believes in due process and the rule of law, preferring peaceful, legal resolutions to conflicts over violent mob action. Despite his moderate stance, his keen legal mind and sense of justice naturally draw him into the brewing political dispute with England.

Key Relationships

Husband of Abigail Adams

Cousin of Samuel Adams

Defense Attorney for Thomas Preston

Colleague of Josiah Quincy

Colleague of George Washington

Opponent of Thomas Hutchinson

Ally of Richard Henry Lee

Benjamin is an elderly, celebrated philosopher and the colonies' official representative in the British Parliament. He maintains a transatlantic celebrity status and enjoys his expatriate lifestyle in London. His time in Europe provides him with a broad perspective, though his physical distance from America initially separates him from the immediate anger felt by the colonists.

Key Relationships

Father of William Franklin

Friend of Will Strahan

Adversary of Thomas Hutchinson

Colleague of John Dickinson

Ally of John Adams

Opponent of King George III

Samuel is a tireless community organizer and a radical voice for the Massachusetts Sons of Liberty. He utilizes inflammatory rhetoric to incite protests and push moderate colonists toward decisive action against British taxation. He actively seeks to keep the public's attention focused squarely on the injustices of British rule.

Key Relationships

Cousin of John Adams

Co-organizer with Joseph Warren

Ally of John Hancock

Enemy of Thomas Gage

Opponent of Thomas Hutchinson

Associate of Paul Revere

George is a Virginia plantation owner and colonel in the Virginia militia. He possesses notable military experience from the French and Indian War but harbors deep self-doubt regarding his ability to lead a massive, unified force. He projects outward discipline and dedication, tasked with transforming a diverse collection of farmers into a capable army.

Key Relationships

Husband of Martha Washington

Colleague of John Adams

Commander of Artemas Ward

Enemy of Major Pitcairn

Former Comrade of Thomas Gage

Enemy of King George III

Thomas is the commander of British forces in the American colonies. He is a career military man tasked with maintaining order in a rebellious territory while waiting for direct, often delayed orders from London. He attempts to balance his military directives with a practical understanding of the local unrest, knowing that brute force may worsen the situation.

Key Relationships

Husband of Margaret Gage

Subordinate to King George III

Colleague of Thomas Hutchinson

Adversary of Samuel Adams

Commander of Major Pitcairn

Opponent of George Washington

The monarch of the British Empire, ruling from an island across the Atlantic. He perceives his colonies strictly as subjects who exist to serve the empire and pay for its military protection. He relies on absolute authority, reacting to colonial protests with increasingly restrictive decrees and an open disdain for their grievances.

Key Relationships

Commander of Thomas Gage

Adversary of Benjamin Franklin

Supporting Characters

Joseph is a Boston surgeon and an integral, behind-the-scenes organizer for the Sons of Liberty. While Samuel Adams operates as the public face of the protests, Joseph handles much of the practical organization and intelligence gathering. He steps out of his civilian profession to help prepare the local colonial militia for coming conflicts.

Key Relationships

Ally of Samuel Adams

Friend of John Adams

Associate of Paul Revere

Opponent of Thomas Gage

Abigail is the intelligent and highly capable wife of John Adams. She manages the family farm in Braintree, takes in boarders, and raises their children while her husband travels for his legal and political work. She serves as an essential voice of conscience and reason for John, challenging his assumptions about government and representation.

Key Relationships

Wife of John Adams

Thomas is the royal governor of Massachusetts and a staunch, conservative loyalist. He firmly believes that the colonies owe absolute fealty to the king and cannot function without British guidance. He views the growing protests as the unruly actions of a mob that must be strictly disciplined before order can be restored.

Key Relationships

Colleague of Thomas Gage

Opponent of Samuel Adams

Adversary of Benjamin Franklin

John is a highly vocal and persistent conservative voice within the colonial delegation. He continually advocates for reconciliation with England, fearing that a split will leave the colonies completely vulnerable to other European empires. He values loyalty to the British system despite recognizing its ongoing flaws.

Key Relationships

Opponent of John Adams

Colleague of Benjamin Franklin

Margaret is the American-born wife of British General Thomas Gage. She experiences a profound internal division between her love for her native land and her marriage to a high-ranking British officer. She often struggles with the painful realization that her husband's duty requires him to subjugate her fellow colonists.

Key Relationships

Wife of Thomas Gage

Acquaintance of Joseph Warren

William is the son of Benjamin Franklin and a committed loyalist holding a powerful royal appointment in New Jersey. He views the colonial rebels as cowardly complainers and maintains an unwavering allegiance to the British crown, creating a painful ideological divide within his family.

Key Relationships

Will is a close English friend of Benjamin Franklin. He continually defends the British Empire's actions and policies, representing the mindset of everyday English citizens who simply cannot comprehend the colonial desire for self-governance or their resistance to taxation.

Key Relationships

Paul is a Boston silversmith and an express rider for the colonial resistance. He uses his trade and social connections with the wives of British officers to gather intelligence on troop movements, rapidly relaying that information to rebel leaders across the Massachusetts countryside.

Key Relationships

Associate of Joseph Warren

Ally of Samuel Adams

John is a wealthy Boston merchant and a prominent financial backer of the rebel cause. He uses his vast resources to support the resistance movement and serves as a highly visible leader in the colonial push against British taxation and commercial monopolies.

Key Relationships

Ally of Samuel Adams

Colleague of George Washington

Pitcairn is a commander of British marines stationed in Boston. He operates under the assumption that the sheer sight of British uniforms will terrify the colonial militia into submission, severely underestimating the resolve of the local farmers and merchants he is sent to disarm.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Thomas Gage

Opponent of George Washington

Thomas is the British officer in command during the deadly confrontation between soldiers and Boston civilians. He faces severe murder charges in a hostile city and requires an impartial lawyer to defend him against a highly prejudiced public.

Key Relationships

Client of John Adams

Commander of Hugh White

Hugh is a private in the British army. He stands sentry duty during a tense standoff with angry Boston civilians, an encounter that quickly escalates into violence and triggers a major political crisis in the colonies.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to Thomas Preston

Josiah is a fellow Boston attorney who assists in the defense of the British soldiers following the Boston Massacre. He pressures his colleagues to use specific legal strategies that highlight the aggressive, organized behavior of the colonial mob.

Key Relationships

Colleague of John Adams

Artemas is the commander of the Massachusetts militia. He actively resents outside interference from leaders like Washington, feeling fiercely protective of his local authority and highly skeptical of a Virginian taking control of New England troops.

Key Relationships

Subordinate to George Washington

Richard is a highly vocal Virginia delegate at the Continental Congress. He works closely with the Massachusetts representatives to push for a unified, aggressive stance against British policies, urging his peers to formulate viable alternatives to the status quo.

Key Relationships

Ally of John Adams