Town governments forbade the drinking of tea during boycotts, and George Washington required his soldiers to be immunized against small pox because they recognized the existence of shared interests, dangerous pathogens, and “the common good.”

I love this idea so many conservatives have that the American Revolution just happened when some farmers with muskets got mad one day and did a Revolution and then went home. The fighting went on for over six years. And the town militias were largely useless.

Much of the blame for this totally distorted conservative view of the Revolution lays with The Patriot, an egregiously terrible film that has a large cult following on the right.

FWIW, I live tweeted that film back in May with the #hatm crew. https://twitter.com/sethcotlar/status/1264716134097367041

Oh no Jim. Don’t tell your friends in the NRA, but the Continental Congress called for local officials to disarm people who resisted their authority!

And surely don't tell them that in October of 1774 the Continental Congress told the residents of the rebellious colonies how exactly they should care for and dispose of their sheep.

Price controls in a time of crisis! And government inspection of private warehouses! Why, that's socialism and surely the founders would have never stood for something like that!

Full text of these articles of association. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/contcong_10-20-74.asp