To George Robert Twelves Hewes and many other lower-class citizens, the American Revolution led to the breakdown of deference-a political and social aspect in which those of a lower class would defer to higher society members when it came to political and socail issues-as well as a growing sense of importance and unity. Out of those, perhaps the most important one is the growing sense of community. From the beginning of his life, George Robert Twelves Hewes was always a lower class citizen. His family had to live off of the low income of his father until his untimely death in 1749, which left the already impoverished family with nothing, as his estate was entangled in debt and litigation. His mother died in 1775 and was followed by his Grandfather in 1756. At this point in time, the orphan Hewes was 14, an age at …show more content…
Downing. Alfred F. Young mentions that Hewes became a shoemaker "...because he had very little choice." During that time period, an "indenture fee" was needed in order to enter one of the more higher and socially accepted fields. Being a shoemakers' apprentice, therefore, was a position reserved for poor boys who couldn't handle anything else. Young best characterizes the effect of the Revolution by saying: "He was a nobody who briefly became a somebody in the Revolution..." This statement epitomizes the meaning of the Revolution to George Robert Twelves Hewes: it gave him a sense of purpose and made him feel important. Three instances in which this meaning was clear were the Boston Massacre, the Boston Massacre Trial, and the Boston Tea Party. Hewes claimed to have known the victims of the Massacre, all except the runaway slave, Crispus Attucks. He also claims that one of the victims, James Caldwell, fell into his arms and Hewes helped carry him to the doctors before reporting to Caldwell's ship captain. After the Massacre, Hewes was allegedly called upon to testify on the behalf of the