#this is all within the fictional realm of ac3

[forlibcrty]

frankly this is. so insidious. for reference: this is sam adams telling connor that he should lead their little raid to dump the tea in the harbour. it's phrased innocently enough, they're all pals sticking it to the british! but within both historical and in-game context, it has really awful implications.

on the historical side, white colonists actually did dress up as mohawk people for the boston tea party. they darkened their faces with soot and put on native attire. sources on why they did this seem to vary, but no matter what the motivation, it's still not a great fucking thing to do! all accounts indicate there were no actual mohawk people involved, just colonists using their identity as a tool for their own ends. and here, adams is asking the only actual mohawk man among them — who is seventeen years old at this point, by the way — to be the leader of their attack. feels a bit gross!

and then, within the game context, adams knows that connor was already targeted and blamed for an attack he had no hand in. when connor was only thirteen, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up blamed for inciting part of the boston massacre. adams was the one who helped him get out of that mess. so adams is fully aware that it's not only possible for connor to be seized on as a scapegoat, it already happened before. and yet. for their fun little raid on the tea ships, he's actively choosing to put a mohawk teenager at the head of the attack while other white colonists smear their faces with coal and put on native attire.

not great, sam!