In the view of Samuel Adams, Britain had accused, tried, and convicted the entire city of Boston without any due process, without even an allegation of a crime against a person/persons, yet the entire city had been punished. By the same logic, Adams held,the Port of London should be shut down, given the mob activity in Britain’s largest city. Before General Thomas Gage entered Boston, Adams assembled the Boston C of C, and after the communications were written, sent Revere to NYC and Philadelphia with the urgent missives. In the communications, Adams asked Philadelphia to tell what was happening in Boston to the colonies to their south. Adams informed both NYC and Philadelphia that what was occurring in Boston could happen to any other colonial port. Friends of the Colonies in Britain sent letters indicating that after Boston, London had next targeted NYC and NJ.
On 17 May 1774, Gage and his entourage entered Boston Harbor. After being paraded through the main streets of Boston by Hancock and his ceremonial guard, Gage was officially proclaimed MA Governor. While this was going on, Adams was trying to arrange and organize a colony-wide boycott. In private, Gage stated that he would have preferred less ceremony and more submission. When Gage toasted Hutchinson at an official welcome in a large town hall, loud hissing from the crowd was the result.
Gage had spent two decades in the Colonies, and his view was that Boston was led by bullies, and that the typical colonist was dishonorable and could not be trusted. Gage’s orders were to return Boston and MA to submission and obedience, but he wasn’t very enamored with his position or his mission. Closing the Port of Boston was only the beginning for Gage, in that he was also to arrest the leading rabble-rousers, in particular Adams and Hancock. Everyone across the spectrum in Boston and MA knew that more British soldiers and additional legislation from Parliament were forthcoming.
On 17 May 1774, Gage and his entourage entered Boston Harbor. After being paraded through the main streets of Boston by Hancock and his ceremonial guard, Gage was officially proclaimed MA Governor. While this was going on, Adams was trying to arrange and organize a colony-wide boycott. In private, Gage stated that he would have preferred less ceremony and more submission. When Gage toasted Hutchinson at an official welcome in a large town hall, loud hissing from the crowd was the result.
Gage had spent two decades in the Colonies, and his view was that Boston was led by bullies, and that the typical colonist was dishonorable and could not be trusted. Gage’s orders were to return Boston and MA to submission and obedience, but he wasn’t very enamored with his position or his mission. Closing the Port of Boston was only the beginning for Gage, in that he was also to arrest the leading rabble-rousers, in particular Adams and Hancock. Everyone across the spectrum in Boston and MA knew that more British soldiers and additional legislation from Parliament were forthcoming.
Gage assured King George III that with four regiments he could carry out his orders. Gage quartered his men in Boston Common, thinking his mission would not take long enough to bother with more permanent quarters for his men. Seven days before the Port of Boston was sealed, it was election day. Adams was easily reelected to his seat in the MA House, and then was unanimously selected as the MA House Clerk. General Gage, as the newly installed MA Governor, administered the oaths of office for the new session of the MA House. From NYC and Philadelphia, the words “Common Cause” reverberated back to Boston; Adams shared the news that the city would not suffer alone.
On 1 June 1774, city bells tolled signaling the closing of the Port of Boston to all commerce, and Boston braced for ruin. Not long afterwards, Hutchinson sailed for Britain, a moment that Adams had long wished for. The day after Hutchinson’s departure, word of the
MA Government Act and the Administration of Justice Act reached Boston. The Justice Act among other things meant that the Crown would now appoint members of the Council, and that town meetings (other than elections) were now illegal, and could only occur with the governor’s permission. Also included in the two acts was that the overall power of the MA Governor was increased. One of the results of these acts was that a Colonial Governor could arrange for accused criminals to be tried in another colony or in Britain.
These three pieces of multi-layered legislation, along with the 2nd Quartering Act (and some historians include the Quebec Act), were called the Coercive Acts in Britain; while in the Colonies they were known as the Intolerable Acts. With the initial salvo of the the Government and Justice Acts, those in Boston and MA that had been on the fence at least started to lean towards Samuel Adams, if not jumping entirely off the fence into his fold. During the Summer of 1774, Adams added more responsibility to the Committees of Correspondence, in that now spying and intelligence gathering were are part of its mission.
On 1 June 1774, city bells tolled signaling the closing of the Port of Boston to all commerce, and Boston braced for ruin. Not long afterwards, Hutchinson sailed for Britain, a moment that Adams had long wished for. The day after Hutchinson’s departure, word of the
MA Government Act and the Administration of Justice Act reached Boston. The Justice Act among other things meant that the Crown would now appoint members of the Council, and that town meetings (other than elections) were now illegal, and could only occur with the governor’s permission. Also included in the two acts was that the overall power of the MA Governor was increased. One of the results of these acts was that a Colonial Governor could arrange for accused criminals to be tried in another colony or in Britain.
These three pieces of multi-layered legislation, along with the 2nd Quartering Act (and some historians include the Quebec Act), were called the Coercive Acts in Britain; while in the Colonies they were known as the Intolerable Acts. With the initial salvo of the the Government and Justice Acts, those in Boston and MA that had been on the fence at least started to lean towards Samuel Adams, if not jumping entirely off the fence into his fold. During the Summer of 1774, Adams added more responsibility to the Committees of Correspondence, in that now spying and intelligence gathering were are part of its mission.
On 17 June 1774 in the MA House, Adams proposed that each colony send representatives to Philadelphia for a general congress, which of course was not an authorized proposal in any way or form from the new powers-that-be in MA. A Tory in the chamber sneaked out and informed Gage that the MA House was not considering measures of conciliation, but proposing a Colonial Congress. Gage sent a minion to investigate, and that person found that the door to the MA House chamber was locked. Gage dissolved the MA House, and for the first time as MA Governor, he was in high dudgeon. As goods became more scarce and prices soared in Boston, additional acts from Parliament entered the picture. During June 1774, Samuel Adams overreached, in that he and Dr. Warren circulated a document titled the Solemn League and Covenant. The document appeared to have been written by the Boston C of C, but in reality, many MA towns had signed on before it actually reached Boston. Merchants that signed on agreed that they would not sell goods imported before September, and consumers that signed on agreed to only buy approved merchandise and to break off relations with anyone that violated the agreement. Some MA ministers went so far as to deny communion to members of their congregation that didn’t sign on to the agreement.
The overall goal of the Solemn League was to get the MA countryside on board, which didn’t need imports as much as Boston, in order to embolden Boston’s opposition and resolve in dealing with the closing of the Port of Boston. Gage issued a myriad of orders for arrests of those that signed on to the agreement. Adams was on the defensive as Candidus in the Gazette, while a coalition of Boston merchants tried to eliminate the C of C. Adams had to keep playing defense in that the merchant coalition demanded that the C of C share all of its correspondence since the Port of Boston had closed. The town meeting over that demand became a raucous affair, with Adams, Warren, and others facing off against the wealthiest Bostonians. The motion for abolishing the Boston Committee of Correspondence ultimately failed, and the Solemn League collapsed, having nearly ended the
C of C in the city.
The overall goal of the Solemn League was to get the MA countryside on board, which didn’t need imports as much as Boston, in order to embolden Boston’s opposition and resolve in dealing with the closing of the Port of Boston. Gage issued a myriad of orders for arrests of those that signed on to the agreement. Adams was on the defensive as Candidus in the Gazette, while a coalition of Boston merchants tried to eliminate the C of C. Adams had to keep playing defense in that the merchant coalition demanded that the C of C share all of its correspondence since the Port of Boston had closed. The town meeting over that demand became a raucous affair, with Adams, Warren, and others facing off against the wealthiest Bostonians. The motion for abolishing the Boston Committee of Correspondence ultimately failed, and the Solemn League collapsed, having nearly ended the
C of C in the city.
Where the Solemn League failed in rallying people to Adams’ fold, the closing of the Port of Boston succeeded. As Britain tried to suppress the spirit of liberty via acts of Parliament, it actually promoted that spirit. The wharves in Boston were deserted, warehouses were empty, and the streets were silent, no longer bustling bee hives of activity. Merchants’ shelves were empty, prices soared, and hard currency was incredibly scarce. Those that could afford to pack up their possessions and move out of Boston did so. London gambled that the other colonies wouldn’t care about what occurred in Boston, and again London misjudged the mood in the Colonies.
While imports no longer entered Boston harbor, imported charity from the Colonies did, such as cheese from CT, wheat and corn from VA, rice from SC, and all sorts of items arrived from New England. Charitable shipments even came to Boston from Canada and the Caribbean. It was as if Boston was conducting a telethon, and the pledges became an immediate reality.
While the charity slightly eased Boston’s suffering, something else occurred, in that altruism became a form of not only solidarity, but resistance. Wisely, the Boston C of C subsidized (a la the New Deal’s Works Progress Act) the unemployed to clean docks, dig wells, build wharves, etc. The Boston C of C became a beacon of light, while the British were viewed by the majority of Bostonians as the cruel oppressors. That colonial altruism, the peaceful conduct of the increasingly miserable Boston, and the spreading unity of the Colonies led to immense frustration in London. General Gage wanted to arrest Samuel Adams, but there were no legal grounds on which to charge him, and he was powerless to remove Adams from the MA House. Gage had an avalanche of information, but specific evidence continued to be elusive.
While imports no longer entered Boston harbor, imported charity from the Colonies did, such as cheese from CT, wheat and corn from VA, rice from SC, and all sorts of items arrived from New England. Charitable shipments even came to Boston from Canada and the Caribbean. It was as if Boston was conducting a telethon, and the pledges became an immediate reality.
While the charity slightly eased Boston’s suffering, something else occurred, in that altruism became a form of not only solidarity, but resistance. Wisely, the Boston C of C subsidized (a la the New Deal’s Works Progress Act) the unemployed to clean docks, dig wells, build wharves, etc. The Boston C of C became a beacon of light, while the British were viewed by the majority of Bostonians as the cruel oppressors. That colonial altruism, the peaceful conduct of the increasingly miserable Boston, and the spreading unity of the Colonies led to immense frustration in London. General Gage wanted to arrest Samuel Adams, but there were no legal grounds on which to charge him, and he was powerless to remove Adams from the MA House. Gage had an avalanche of information, but specific evidence continued to be elusive.
By June 1774, Adams heard from friends and informers, particularly Dr. Joseph Warren, that he was a marked man by Britain, certain to be arrested very soon. At about the same time, Hutchinson was granted an audience with King George III, where he was able to inform the king that Samuel Adams was the main instigator for all of Britain’s problems in Boston and MA. King George III asked many questions of Hutchinson, showing his knowledge and ignorance of the Colonies. Hutchinson left the palace exhilarated, knowing that he was the leading authority on what was happening in the Colonies in the eyes of the Crown. After the audience with Hutchinson, King George III was convinced that MA would soon submit to British authority.
Samuel Adams, now 52 years old, was set to travel to Philadelphia as a MA representative to what would eventually be called the 1st Continental Congress. John Adams was also selected to represent MA, and he was very honored, yet he was also very nervous, feeling unequal to the task. Samuel Adams, 13 years older than John Adams, also didn’t feel that he was equal to the job at hand. Samuel Adams chose humility as his strategy, downplaying his role, and instead focused on Britain’s actions in uniting the Colonies. The day before leaving for Philadelphia, Samuel Adams and Dr. Warren found a way around the illegal town meetings; Warren would preside over a “Provincial Assembly”, staying in a single session throughout. On 10 August 1774, Samuel Adams and the other MA representatives departed for Philadelphia in full view of the British redcoats in Boston Common. As the entourage traveled south, they discovered that they were celebrities, with all sorts of onlookers cheering them as conquering heroes. At every stop, the MA retinue met with members of other Committees of Correspondence, sharing information.
Samuel Adams, now 52 years old, was set to travel to Philadelphia as a MA representative to what would eventually be called the 1st Continental Congress. John Adams was also selected to represent MA, and he was very honored, yet he was also very nervous, feeling unequal to the task. Samuel Adams, 13 years older than John Adams, also didn’t feel that he was equal to the job at hand. Samuel Adams chose humility as his strategy, downplaying his role, and instead focused on Britain’s actions in uniting the Colonies. The day before leaving for Philadelphia, Samuel Adams and Dr. Warren found a way around the illegal town meetings; Warren would preside over a “Provincial Assembly”, staying in a single session throughout. On 10 August 1774, Samuel Adams and the other MA representatives departed for Philadelphia in full view of the British redcoats in Boston Common. As the entourage traveled south, they discovered that they were celebrities, with all sorts of onlookers cheering them as conquering heroes. At every stop, the MA retinue met with members of other Committees of Correspondence, sharing information.
Ten days later the MA delegation entered NYC, escorted by a thousand armed militia men, dignitaries, and a huge crowd, and while in the city, they were feted. It was while in NYC that the MA delegation was informed of the Virginia Resolves, where the House of Burgesses denied the supremacy of Parliament and supported Boston in their time of need. Adams discovered in NYC that it was far easier (and wiser) to listen to others talk at the social gatherings, something he would take with him to Philadelphia.
On 27 August 1774, while in Princeton (NJ), the MA delegation received more specific information about who else would be in Philadelphia (e.g. who were the “Ringers”), such as Richard Henry Lee and
Patrick Henry from VA, and who were the plodders and the drinkers. On 29 August 1774, the MA delegation crossed the Delaware River, and made their final approach to Philadelphia. Five miles outside the city, they met a column of carriages, one of which carried the PA delegates, including Thomas Mifflin, who urged the MA contingent to arrive in the city early, hoping that Samuel Adams would lodge with him.
By 1 September 1774, the MA delegation had met about half of the total delegates, including George Washington from Virginia, and it seemed that there would be a total of 56 in the congress, over half of them lawyers (at age 52, Samuel Adams was the oldest delegate). Samuel Adams, the biggest celebrity in the Continental Congress, made himself as invisible as possible, while others, such as Patrick Henry did the speaking. In many ways, the VA delegation ran the show in part because it was the most populous colony, but also because VA was not viewed as fanatical, despite its support of Boston. The Continental Congress viewed MA as a victim and a martyr, in that Boston alone that was currently occupied by British forces.
On 27 August 1774, while in Princeton (NJ), the MA delegation received more specific information about who else would be in Philadelphia (e.g. who were the “Ringers”), such as Richard Henry Lee and
Patrick Henry from VA, and who were the plodders and the drinkers. On 29 August 1774, the MA delegation crossed the Delaware River, and made their final approach to Philadelphia. Five miles outside the city, they met a column of carriages, one of which carried the PA delegates, including Thomas Mifflin, who urged the MA contingent to arrive in the city early, hoping that Samuel Adams would lodge with him.
By 1 September 1774, the MA delegation had met about half of the total delegates, including George Washington from Virginia, and it seemed that there would be a total of 56 in the congress, over half of them lawyers (at age 52, Samuel Adams was the oldest delegate). Samuel Adams, the biggest celebrity in the Continental Congress, made himself as invisible as possible, while others, such as Patrick Henry did the speaking. In many ways, the VA delegation ran the show in part because it was the most populous colony, but also because VA was not viewed as fanatical, despite its support of Boston. The Continental Congress viewed MA as a victim and a martyr, in that Boston alone that was currently occupied by British forces.