How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
But when that bill came—the fiddler's bill—that bill for the tea, it was so much heavier than anyone expected, Boston was thrown into a paroxysm of anger and despair. There had been many a moderate man who had thought the Tea Party a bit lawless and was now ready to vote payment for the tea. But when these men heard how cruelly the Town was to be punished, they swore it would never be paid for. And those other thirteen colonies. Up to this time many of them had had little interest in Boston's struggles. Now they were united as never before. The punishment united the often jealous, often indifferent, separate colonies, as the Tea Party itself had not. (7.1.1)
It's easy for us to forget that the thirteen colonies didn't always get along/give two Shmoops about each other. Uniting them was a major task prior to and early in the war… and um, also after the war: state sovereignty is an issue that still comes up in American politics. This is the classic case of not getting along with your siblings until an outsider bullies one of you. And then it's on.
Quote #2
It was up to Johnny to keep in touch with Dove. It was all right for Rab to talk. Rab was training with the armed forces. But what could Johnny do? Not much, it seemed to him, except be bored to death for his country. (7.3.77)
Patriotism is often paired with serving in the military. Johnny physically can't train with the militia because he can't fire a gun with one hand, and this really bugs him. His job is to sit around with Dove and get information out of him, and while it's an important job, to Johnny it doesn't seem as important as firing a gun. We don't get what Johnny's upset about because he's basically a spy, which doesn't sound lame at all. What other ways can people serve their countries besides through military service? Are these other jobs as important?
Quote #3
"Cilla, they won't ever come back."
"Never?"
"No. This is the end. The end of one thing—the beginning of something else. They won't come back because there is going to be a war—civil war. And we'll win. First folk like them get routed out of Milton—then out of Boston. And the cards are going to be reshuffled. Dealt again…" (8.2.37-39)
Wow, Johnny's getting all prophetic on us here. We're not sure how he sees all this from August 1774, but whatevs. The Sons of Liberty have just run the Lytes out of their country house, and Johnny says they won't ever be back. He must be feeling confident now that he's found his genealogy. It's interesting that he calls it a civil war because that's not how the American Revolution is typically presented, even though that's technically what it was. Does thinking of the American Revolution as a civil war change your view of it?