UNE students reenact 1774 debate at historic Biddeford meetinghouse

Last Thursday, history came alive as University of New England students reenacted a 1774 debate of the then Town of Biddeford’s decision to join Boston in its protest of taxation.

Back in 1774, Boston asked all towns in Massachusetts to join them in a boycott to protest taxes from the British parliament. Biddeford, at the time part of Massachusetts, was included in this request.

Fast forward 250 years, and Professor Jonathan DeCoster is teaching a history class called “What Really Happened?” at UNE. DeCoster meets with Biddeford Historical Society President Paul McDonough to learn more about Biddeford’s role in the American Revolution, and came up with the idea to have students reenact the debate.

“The goal of the course is to help students see history as a series of investigations and arguments rather than a list of names and dates to be memorized,” said DeCoster in a written statement. “I thought it would be more meaningful, and hopefully more fun, if we did something that was connected to local history.”

Students from all different majors, from freshmen to seniors in DeCoster’s class took on the roles of various historical citizens of Biddeford and discussed whether the town should join in boycotting British goods at last week’s event, "Biddeford 1774–2024: Debating the American Revolution.”

The debate took place in the First Parish Meetinghouse, 7 Meetinghouse Road, Biddeford, in the same building where the decision was originally made by local citizens back in 1774.

The proceedings began with Rishworth Jordan, portrayed by student Ben Fitzgerald, and James Sullivan, portrayed by student Elias Nawfel, reading from a letter from Boston which gave information about Parliament action against Boston and requested boycotts against trade with Britain in protest.

Then the townspeople, portrayed by students, each said their piece, offering several different perspectives on the issue. This included a fisherman and blacksmith worried about British activities threatening their liberties and livelihoods, a physician outraged by the behavior of the Bostonians, and a sea captain’s wife who wanted to avoid a disruptive conflict. The floor was then opened to questions from the “townspeople” as well as the audience. After the debate, the students each stood up and gave some background about the person they were portraying.

McDonough said last week’s event was a good and well researched presentation which demonstrated the importance of the locale. Part of the purpose of this presentation was to explore multiple interpretations of historical events based on different sources. It also provided an excellent opportunity to learn about the history of Biddeford and America, for both the students and the community, he said.

Thomas Garcia is a senior at University of New England and a UNE Community News Fellow.