On July 9th, 1776 General Washington ordered nearly 30,000 Continental soldiers stationed in New York City to stand at attention at six o’clock at the City Commons (City Hall Park today) to hear one of the first readings of the Declaration of Independence. It became official – the colonies were no longer part of the British Empire. They were officially proclaimed independent from Parliament and King George III.
It is unknown how Washington read the Declaration – what tone he used or even what words he emphasized, but however he read the document, the crowed became inspired. Not long after, 40 soldiers led by Captain Oliver Brown rushed down to Bowling Green Park and began pulling the statue down.
The statue was erected in 1770 after the repeal of the Stamp Act and portrayed King George in the style of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Washington did not participate in tearing down the nearly 4,000 pound led statue, but he didn’t stop the men either. The General saw this statue every day from his headquarters at One Broadway, it was a daily reminder of the freedom he was fighting for. Tearing down this statue symbolized the end of the tyrannical rule of King George III… it also happened to be melted down afterwards to make 42,088 musket balls for the Continental Army. Over the years, pieces of the statue have been found (the New-York Historical Society has the tail, other pieces have been discovered around the foundry the statue was sent to in Litchfield, Connecticut). The head of King George, however, has never been recovered.
