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America’s First Constitutions and Declarations of Rights
by the country people suddenly assembled to repel this cruel aggression.
Hostilities, thus commenced by the British troops, have been since prosecuted by them without regard to faith or reputation.—The inhabitants
of Boston being confined within that town by the general their governor,
and having, in order to procure their dismission, entered into a treaty
with him, it was stipulated that the said inhabitants having deposited
their arms with their own magistrates, should have liberty to depart, taking with them their other effects. They accordingly delivered up their
arms, but in open violation of honor, in defiance of the obligation of treaties, which even savage nations esteemed sacred, the governor ordered
the arms deposited as aforesaid, that they might be preserved for their
owners, to be seized by a body of soldiers; detained the greatest part of
the inhabitants