This volume is a manuscript copy of Stephen E. Glover's play The Cradle of Liberty! A National Drama in Four Acts, adapted from James Fenimore Cooper's novel Lionel Lincoln and set in Boston in 1775. Glover presented this copy (106 pages) to "Mr. Annis," an acquaintance, in 1840. The first page shows a list of the main characters and the names of actors who played them in New York City, Boston, and New Orleans around 1837. The second page is a list of "Dramatis Personae," providing the names and brief descriptions of the main characters; most of them are affiliated with the British Army or with the American patriot cause.
The play takes place in Boston at the beginning of the American Revolution and concerns the relationship between Lionel Lincoln, a young British nobleman, and his companion, a patriot named Ralph (who is later revealed to be Lincoln's father). Though much of the play focuses on the relationship between Lincoln and Ralph, several scenes highlight the British Army or the patriots. Characters refer to the state of affairs around Boston in 1775 and discuss conflicts that give rise to physical violence in the play's final scenes, which take place at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
