Though he might be obscure in the history books, Dr. Thomas Young was an influential leader in Boston’s Sons of Liberty during the American Revolution.
Born in New Windsor, New York, Dr. Young first arrived in Boston in 1765 after the conclusion of the Stamp Act Riots. He worked as a physician and remained politically active, attending Boston Town Meetings and becoming a member of the North End Caucus, a political group serving the interests of Boston’s North End neighborhood.
In December 1771, Dr. Young delivered the first oration in commemoration of the anniversary of the Boston Massacre. At a November 2, 1772, Boston Town Meeting, Dr. Young was appointed to the Committee of Correspondence, the group responsible for communications between Boston and the surrounding townships.
Historians believe that on the evening of December 16, 1773, Dr. Young stayed away from Griffin’s Wharf along with Samuel Adams and John Hancock, despite being an instrumental actor in the organizing of the Meeting of the Body of the People at Old South Meeting House. It has been written that perhaps it was Dr. Young who suggested the “destruction of the tea” as a formal protest to the landing of the East India Company cargo. A British government informant described that Dr. Young was addressing the crowd with a speech on the medical risks of drinking tea while the destruction was occurring. However, Sarah Gammell, the daughter of Boston Tea Party participant John Gammell, does list Dr. Young as a participant alongside her father.
During the Revolutionary War, Dr. Young served in the Continental Congress, representing Massachusetts alongside Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and John Adams. Interestingly, Dr. Young held religious views that did not align with those of his fellow patriots at the time. He was known as a deist, a person whose worldview embraced a philosophy of natural religion, denying the interference of a Creator in the laws of the universe.
Dr. Thomas Young died in Philadelphia, PA, on June 24, 1777. The location of his grave is unknown.
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