PODCAST In New York City, during the tumultuous summer of 1776, the King of England lost his head.
Bowling Green is best known today as the calming, flower-filled oasis in lower Manhattan, next to the decidedly less calming, lumbering sculpture Charging Bull, which is popular with tourists. But this peaceful park was once home to New York City’s most infamous statue — and the stage for America’s first No Kings protest.
In 1770, the old park became the home of a monumental statue of King George III on horseback, an ostentatious artifact meant to remind the rebellious colonists of just who was in charge.
On July 9, 1776, following a reading of the freshly minted Declaration of Independence, angry New Yorkers violently pulled down that statue of King George and, as legend has it, rendered his body into bullets used in the battles of the Revolutionary War.
As we approach the 250th anniversary of the United States, we also mark the 250th anniversary of this event — not a moment of jubilation and freedom, but of anger and uncertainty.
The Declaration beautifully set down the words of independence. The tearing down of King George made the same statement — in a far messier, more violent manner.
In this episode, take a trip back to the city right before the war, when New York was split into those sympathetic to the Tories and those to the Sons of Liberty, an early organization dedicated to the liberty of the American colonies.
PLUS: Find out where you can locate artifacts from this story throughout the city today.
FEATURING: A young Alexander Hamilton, William Pitt the Elder, that rascal Cadwallader Colden and the enterprising ladies of the Wolcott household.
This special episode is not a rerun! It’s a riff on a 2020 Bowery Boys episode. It has been rewritten and rerecorded (including for video on YouTube) in honor of America 250, and newly produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.
LISTEN HERE: TEARING DOWN KING GEORGE
The story of the destruction of the statue at Bowling Green spread far and wide, inspiring some less-than-accurate depictions of the event.
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FURTHER LISTENING
After listening to this tale of the King George III in Bowling Green, check out these past Bowery Boys podcast episodes which also speak about some of the subjects featured on this show.
