April
27,
1771
(New York) |
The
popular leader of revolutionary efforts who was imprisoned for libel after writing the
December, 1769 pamphlet titled "To the Betrayed Inhabitants of the City and Colony of
New York" is finally released from prison. |
July
1771
(Virginia) |
The
commonwealth of Virginia, originators of the Virginia Association proposed by George
Washington that rallied the non-importation policy of the Colonies in protest of the
Townshend Acts, becomes the last of the American Colonies to resume trade with Britain
since all provisions of the Acts except for the tax on tea were repealed by Parliament the
previous year. |
|
March
5,
1772
(Boston) |
A
new radical leader in the revolutionary community of Boston emerged to join Samuel Adams
and John Hancock when he spoke out today against the British on the anniversary of last
year's riot that has come to be known as the "Boston Massacre". The new
voice belongs to 31 year old Joseph Warren, a Harvard educated and rather successful local
physician. Meanwhile the
sentiments of Colonial women begins to be felt with the publication of Mercy Otis Warren's
play "Massachusetts Spy", which lampoons the British. Mrs. Otis
is the sister of James Otis, the local attorney who has become a leader after taking
defiant stands against the Stamp Act and Townshend acts. |
June
9,
1772
(Rhode Island) |
British
Lieutenant William Dudingston's revenue cutter "Gaspee" ran aground in the
darkness at Namquit Point near Providence, Rhode Island. Dudingston was both hated
and feared in the Colonies for his aggressive efforts to end smuggling in the area, and
quickly became their target. A group of patriots led by Abraham Whipple boarded the
grounded ship, put the commander and his crew ashore, and then defiantly burned the
Gaspee. It was a bold and radical move by these Colonists, invoking the wrath of the
royal governor who offered a reward for information to identify the men involved. He
has indicated that any of the men identified will be sent to England for trial, a move
that has further upset the local patriots. Rhode Island chief justice Stephen
Hopkins refused to sanction the arrest and trial of the men involved saying he would
neither apprehend anyone responsible "nor suffer any executing officer of the colony
to do it." |
June
13,
1772
(Boston) |
Massachusetts'
royal governor Thomas Hutchinson announced this day that he will now begin receiving his
salary directly from England, removing any dependence he may have had on local government.
This has effectively removed any control the Massachusetts' Assembly previously had
over the upper levels of government. Governor Hutchinson's announcement was followed
by a Royal commitment to also directly pay the salaries of the judges of the Superior
Court, yet another slap in the face at the idea of any local control of government or
jurisprudence. |
Nov
2,
1772
(Boston) |
Outrage
in Massachusetts over the British government's acts against the Colonies, heightened by
the recent move to remove any financial control local governments may have had over their
royal governor or Superior Court judges, has led to a town meeting in Boston. Local
activists James Otis and Samuel Adams have called for the establishment of local groups
for the purposes of resisting these illegal British acts and to keep other communities
informed of the activities in their own area. These local groups will be called
COMMITTEES OF CORRESPONDENCE, and the local committee is planning to publish its first
report later in the month. |
Nov
20,
1772
(Boston) |
The
local Committee of Correspondence issued its first report including three papers, one
written by Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, and the third by Dr. Benjamin Church. In
his treatise, Dr. Church called upon other towns to establish similar Committees of
Correspondence and not "to doze or sit supinely indifferent on the brink of
destruction." |
|
January,
1773
(Boston) |
According
to Massachusetts Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson, there are now more than 80 Committees
of Correspondence throughout the Colony. The groups have become highly active with
lively political meetings, printed materials, and support from similar groups as far away
as Virginia and the Carolinas. Hutchinson sees the activities of these committees as
treason, stating they are "the foulest, subtlest and most venomous serpent ever
issued from the egg of sedition." |
March
12,
1773
(Virginia) |
The
Virginia House of Burgesses met and established a committee to improve communication with
the Northern Colonies. Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and Thomas Jefferson
already belong to a Committee of Correspondence, and this move gives further support to
the program introduced in Massachusetts last year by Samuel Adams. At the heart of
the decision by members of the House of Burgesses was the attempt to identify the men who
last year burned the British customs cutter "Gaspee" and try them in England.
There is grave concern over the prospects of other local patriots being put on
trial in England. |
May
10,
1773
(London) |
With
the British East India Tea Company deeply in debt and struggling for survival, the members
of Parliament sent King George a Tea act which he quickly approved. In effect the
measure gave the Tea Company in which many members of Parliament have financial interests,
a virtual monopoly on all tea exports to the American colonies by reducing the tax on
imported tea. Though the measure retained the Townshend Act's sole surviving revenue
measure upon sale in the Colonies, the tax on tea, it allows the Company to sell its
surplus tea at a price below that which Colonists are currently paying for tax-free,
illegal smuggled tea. |
September,
1773
(Boston) |
Parliament
granted the East India Tea Company to move a half-million pounds of its stored surplus tea
to the Colonies for sale. |
November,
1773
(Colonies) |
British
merchant ships laden with a half-million pounds of British tea began arriving to a frosty
welcome in the American Colonies. In Philadelphia and New York local merchants
refused to accept the tea. In Charleston the tea was unloaded but stored with a
warehouse when no merchants would accept the British taxed product. Throughout all
of the Colonies the Committees of Correspondence are calling upon local patriots to refuse
the tea cargo, and impose an embargo on British Tea. |
December
1773
(Boston) |
Three
British ships (Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver) laden with tea
being imported here by the East India Tea Company are stalled in Boston harbor. With
no local merchants willing to accept the cargo, the captains of the three ships have
agreed not to attempt to unload the cargo. Meanwhile Governor Thomas Hutchinson has
refused to allow the tea laden vessels to depart the harbor until the import duty on the
unwanted tea is paid. |
Dec
16,
1773
(Boston) |
Local
citizens have their own solution for the three British merchant ships stalled in Boston
Harbor with their unwanted cargo of East India Tea Company tea. Disguised as Indians
some 60 members of the Sons of Liberty boarded the three vessels one-by-one to dump their
cargo of tea into the salt water of the Harbor. Unconfirmed reports spread that
local activist John Hancock, Boston's richest resident, actually led the raiding party.
What is certain is that the local populace enjoyed the event that began around 6
o'clock in the evening, the crowd cheering from Griffin's Wharf as 342 chests of tea were
dumped. When the raiding party withdrew there was not tea remaining on
any of the three ships but not one British sailor was injured in the attack, and the tea
was the only cargo aboard ship that was destroyed. The importance of this single act of rebellion was not lost on the moderate
politician John Adams who said, "The people should never rise without doing something
to be remembered, something notable and striking. This destruction of the tea is so
bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid and inflexible, and it must have important
consequences." A more radical patriot leader Josiah Quincy, Jr. has predicted
that the event now being called the "Boston Tea Party" will lead "to the
most trying and terrific struggle this country ever saw." |
Dec
25,
1773
(Boston) |
Last
summer Benjamin Franklin brought to the attention of the Massachusetts Assembly, certain
letters by Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson in which he asked for "abridgment of what
are called English liberties". Today the Massachusetts Assembly sent a petition
to Parliament requesting Hutchinson's removal. The native Bostonian and descendant
of Anne Hutchinson has held every major political office in the Colony since his career
began in 1737. The letters brought to light by Franklin has eroded much of
Hutchinson's most loyal support, and the move by the Assembly could signal the end of his
public service career. |
|
Mar
31,
1774
(London) |
Most
Colonists have anticipated that King George III would act swiftly and decisively in the
aftermath of last year's rebellious "Boston Tea Party". To assert
England's authority over the Colonies, Parliament has passed the Boston Port Bill, closing
the harbor until the Colonists agree to pay for the ruined tea. Only food, fuel and
military stores can now be brought into the harbor, and then only if cleared by a royal
customs official. |
May
12,
1774
(Boston) |
In
retaliation against the Boston Port Bill closing Boston Harbor, local citizens vote to
renew their non-importation policies that were previously effective in the Colonies in the
repeal of the Stamp Act and most provisions of the Townshend Acts. |
May
13,
1774
(Boston) |
General
Thomas Gage returns to Boston, bringing with him four regiments of soldiers to maintain
order in the city that is becoming the Colonial leader in rebellion against and defiance
of the Crown and Parliaments. General Gage replaces Thomas Hutchinson as Royal
Governor, and Hutchinson is sent to England aboard ship in what is expected to be a
"temporary" recall following the local unrest and the call last December for his
ouster by the Massachusetts Assembly. |
Spring,
1774
(London) |
Following
the earlier Boston Port Bill, Parliament has acted again to punish the Colonists
for last year's Boston Tea Party through a series of Coercive Acts. The recently
passed Administration of Justice Act provided Royal protection for officials
involved in suppression of local riots by moving trials from the Colonies to England in
all court cases involving riot suppression or revenue collection. The Massachusetts
Government Act provided for government officials to be selected by the crown
effectively eliminating the Massachusetts charter of government and any control by the
people of Massachusetts. It further specified that Town Meetings may only be held
with the written consent of the governor, who could impose strict limitations to the
meeting's agenda. |
June
2,
1774
(Boston) |
The
fourth of Parliament's Coercive Acts is passed broadening the Quartering Act of
1765. Where the previous act called for the Colonies to provide shelter, and more
specifically barracks, as well as food for British soldiers and their horses, the new act
demands that the Colonists provide "housing" for these soldiers and their
mounts. This has grave implications upon the populace as they may now be forced to allow
soldiers to reside in their own dwellings. The effects of these four acts of
Parliament are meeting stiff resistance by Colonists who consider them illegal acts of
aggression that can not be tolerated by a reasonable society. For this reason the
acts have become widely known as the "INTOLERABLE ACTS". |
June
5,
1774
(Boston) |
The
committee of correspondence has drafted a non-importation agreement known as the
"Solemn League and Covenant" urging all Colonists to boycott imported British
goods. Meanwhile the idea of a united delegation in some form of intercolonial
congress, first proposed last May be the Colony of Rhode Island, is gaining increasing
popularity. |
Sep
5,
1774
(Philadelphia) |
At
the behest of the Virginia House of Burgesses to meet in some form of intercolonial
congress to consider and act on Parliament's Intolerable Acts, 56 delegates from 12
Colonies began meeting in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Invitations had been
sent to all 13 Colonies and to Canada, the latter of which declined to attend. In
the American Colonies, only Georgia was unrepresented at the gathering, due the loyalty of
their royal governor to the crown. Early
in the proceedings of the body that became known as the (First) Continental Congress,
Virginian Peyton Randolph was unanimously elected president of the Assembly.
Considering the fact that the Assembly has no basis in law and could be considered as an
illegal assembly by the Crown, The Continental Congress is by its very existence, an act
of revolution. |
Sep
6,
1774
(Boston) |
Amid
unfounded rumors that the British had burned Boston to the ground, 40,000 Colonial militia
were quickly mobilized. Though the militia disbanded when it was learned that the
rumors were false, the size and efficiency of the local militia was enough to concern
General Thomas Gage who commands the 3,000 British soldiers garrisoned in Boston.
The potential of such a threat has led him to fortify the city with a full regiment
supported by field guns. |
Sep
17,
1774
(Philadelphia) |
The
delegates to the Continental Congress today adopted the "SUFFOLK RESOLVES" after
their dramatic reading on the convention floor by Peyton Randolph. The articles
contained within the Resolves were the result of meetings at Dedham and Milton in Suffolk
County, Massachusetts from September 6 - 9 and were drafted by Joseph Warren. The
resolves declare Parliament's recent Intolerable Acts to be illegal and urge the people of
Massachusetts to refuse to pay taxes and otherwise ignore the orders of royal
officials. The resolves also call for a unified halt to all trade with England, and
went to so far as to urge local militia called "Minutemen" to muster weekly. The Suffolk Resolves arrived in Philadelphia after a quick trip by
Boston silversmith Paul Revere who carried the historic documents in his saddle bags.
By endorsing the Massachusetts born resolves, the entire body has passed a point of
no return in their defiance of Parliament. |
Sep
28,
1774
(Philadelphia) |
The
Colony of Pennsylvania has placed before the Continental Congress a moderate reaction to
the Coercive Acts and calling upon the Colonies to pursue a plan for union...or
reunion...with England. Introduced by Joseph Galloway, the move would have called
for a complete overhaul of government within the colonies. The new government would
consist of a president general appointed by the king and a grand council elected by the
colonial assemblies. The grand council would posses veto power of Parliamentary
action affecting the Colonies. Today
the Pennsylvania Plan was presented for a vote by the delegates and was defeated by a
margin of ONE VOTE! The underlying concept however, of a complete overhaul of
Colonial government, may have lodged itself in the minds of many of the delegates who
voted against the Pennsylvania Plan. |
Oct
14,
1774
(Philadelphia) |
In
perhaps the boldest move of the Continental Congress, now well into its second month of
proceedings in Philadelphia, the delegates voted today to endorse a condemnation of
British interference in the affairs of the American Colonies. Among the 10
resolutions within the DECLARATIONS AND RESOLVES was a strongly worded rebuke of
Parliament and language granting the American Colonies the first steps in self
government--the right to enact legislation and to levy taxes. |
Oct
20,
1774
(Philadelphia) |
As
the proceedings of the Continental Congress near their end, the delegates today put
"teeth" behind the non-importation policies aimed at boycotting British imported
goods. To enforce the policy the Congress today established THE ASSOCIATION, a
system of committees to look for and publicize the non-compliance of any who violated the
boycott. |
Oct
27,
1774
(Philadelphia) |
The
56 delegates to the Continental Convention closed their nearly two months of meetings
today after several sweeping acts including the Suffolk Resolves, the Declarations and
Resolves, and the establishment of The Association to enforce the unified call for a
boycott on British goods. Before adjourning the committee issued their
petition of Rights and Grievances to King George, and called upon the Colonial assemblies
to send delegates to a SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS to convene in Philadelphia next May
10th. Perhaps the greatest
single ideology derived from the two months of debate were best echoed by the moderate
John Adams of Massachusetts who states "The foundation...of all free government is a
right in the people to participate in their legislative council." Americans
"are entitled to a free and exclusive power of legislation in their several
provincial legislatures. |
Dec
14,
1774
(New Hampshire) |
Freshly
home from the Continental Congress, 34 year old Portsmouth attorney John Sullivan today
led the first military action by Colonial soldiers in opposition to the British.
Warned by Paul Revere that the British planned to send soldiers to Portsmouth and fearful
of a siege similar to that presently occurring in Boston, the fiery militia leader
assembled a force of 400 Minutemen and captured nearby Fort William and Mary to seize the
military hardware his militia may need in the face of future military actions against the
British. There were no casualties on either side of the engagement but the armed act
of rebellion may set the stage for further Colonial military action in coming months. |
| 1754-1770
1775/1776
|
