On this day 250 years ago in Springfield, Massachusetts, more than 3,000 Patriots marched “with staves and musick” to block the Hampshire County Court from convening. “Amidst the crowd in a sandy, sultry place, exposed to the sun,” the judges appointed by the Crown to replace elected officials were forced to renounce “in the most express terms any commission which should be given out to them under the new arrangement.” Beginning on August 30, 1774, the people of Hampshire County were free from rule by any British officials. The famous leaders of the Patriots in Boston including Sam Adams, John Hancock, John Adams and Joseph Warren, did not organize the closure of the Hampshire County Court, or the Berkshire County Court in the previous month. These court closures were planned and executed by local citizens in each county and the names of the organizers were either never recorded or have been lost to history. But their actions this day would directly lead to American Independence.

Source: https://www.historynet.com/the-spirit-of-74/