The Freedom Trail

by Leina

Our freedom trail started from the Boston Common, in which Bella and I gave the presentation. The Boston Common is the oldest public park in the United States, found in 1634, and it has witnessed many historic moments. The place was used as a pasture, and local residents grazed livestock here. Also, it once was a training field and over 1000 British soldiers made camp on the common when they occupied Boston, and they left from the Charles River that was near the common to face a fateful battle at Lexington and concord in April, 1775. And Boston Common was not always a place for entertainment; it was a public hanging site until 1817. In 1713, more than 200 citizens rioted on the common in response to a severe food shortage in the city. They attacked the ships and warehouses of a wealthy businessman who exported food to foreign countries for higher profits. As time goes by, the Boston Common is no longer a place for revolution, war or rebellion, but a site for public speaking, celebration, and recreation. Famous speakers like Martin Luther King, gave free speeches on the common to express their quest for civil rights, liberty and peace. Today the place is a beautiful garden for all to enjoy the sunshine and clean air.



The second place we visited was Granary Burying Ground, where many early famous citizens of Boston are buried, including Paul Revere. The ground is neat and peaceful, though it is so close to downtown. Different gravestones have undergone the corrosion of rain, wind and maybe human damage over the past 300 years. There are also many little flags—the stars and stripes flying in the wind—today, this history is still remembered by many Americans, people use the flags to show their memorial to the past.

We have visited the King’s Chapel as well, which was the first non-Puritan church in the U.S. The little church was very wealthy in colonist and pre-civil-war Boston, and has a deep relationship with African-Americans. King’s Chapel strongly supported abolitionist movement and held funerals for many a free African-American. As I stepped into the church, a feeling of harmony came up to my heart, the dark lights and silent surroundings made the place totally different from the modern and noisy outside world. It is a common characteristic that most churches share, a sacred atmosphere.

Boston is a world-famous city, an interesting place with exciting entertainments and potential possibilities for the young. However, Boston is attractive to me because its universities and its uniquely historic value. It was a pity that we did not finish the whole freedom trail. Walking alone the old streets, thinking of the days when the great pioneers fought for freedom and civil rights. This kind of fight is a quest that beyond the national borders and a common language that people from various backgrounds and races all can understand.