On 6 January 1773, Hutchinson unexpectedly convened the MA House in order to lecture on the supremacy of Parliament; the MA Governor’s boldness caused loud gasps of shock and surprise from those assembled. Hutchinson laid it out, in that the real question was whether Parliament was the supreme authority, or were the Colonies to be independent - there could be no middle ground. Hutchinson’s goal was to open the eyes of the MA House and to force what he called the “faction” (Adams & his allies) into a corner. Hutchinson felt very pleased with himself, and Samuel Adams was pleased as well, thinking that Hutchinson gave a perfectly timed and worded disastrous speech that could only embolden the opposition. What was certain was that Hutchinson awoke Boston and much of MA from its relative peace and calm.
The MA House knew much rested on its response to Hutchinson, and appeals for assistance in writing a draft were sent to MD and PA. This time Samuel Adams had no trouble recruiting John Adams for assistance, in particular to proofread and edit Samuel Adams’ initial draft. John replaced Samuel’s grand phraseology with relevant and direct points of law. One of the overriding points John Adams featured was that neither Parliament nor the Crown could limit the natural rights of man. The Council also responded, denying the supreme authority of Parliament. Hutchinson became very flustered as the opposition solidified against him, and he sent off to Parliament the relevant opposition documents, wondering what would be Parliament’s response.
The MA House knew much rested on its response to Hutchinson, and appeals for assistance in writing a draft were sent to MD and PA. This time Samuel Adams had no trouble recruiting John Adams for assistance, in particular to proofread and edit Samuel Adams’ initial draft. John replaced Samuel’s grand phraseology with relevant and direct points of law. One of the overriding points John Adams featured was that neither Parliament nor the Crown could limit the natural rights of man. The Council also responded, denying the supreme authority of Parliament. Hutchinson became very flustered as the opposition solidified against him, and he sent off to Parliament the relevant opposition documents, wondering what would be Parliament’s response.
During February 1773, Hutchinson reported to London that Adams had succeeded in getting over 80 MA towns to declare themselves openly opposed to the supreme authority of Parliament, while also admitting that his speech to the MA House had totally backfired. On 2 March 1773, Adams used the MA Governor’s own words against him, using Hutchinson’s History of New England, pointing out that he wrote that Parliamentary unilateral authority had not always been recognized in the Colonies.
By no later than mid-March 1773, one-third of MA’s towns had created their own Committees of Correspondence (C of C), and Adams looked to in effect franchise the C of C to other colonies. As things stood at that point, any news MA received concerning another colony, such as South Carolina, arrived from Britain, and a Colonial communications systems network would drastically reduce the communications time lag. Adams knew that the Hutchinsons of the Colonies used the lack of communication between the Colonies to their advantage, playing colonies off against each other whenever possible. Adams believed that a C of C that worked throughout the Colonies would go a long way to guarantee Colonial security.
Adams asked PA’s John Dickinson, the author of “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania”, to publish a response to Hutchinson’s lecture to the MA House. VA started to create their own
C of C’s, and it seemed that the “infection” was spreading. In the MA House election in the Spring of 1773, Adams received all but six votes, which was an incredible political recovery from 1772, and it appeared that once again he had Hancock and Otis in his orbit. And to Hutchinson’s horror, the Council was following the lead of Adams and the MA House. Hutchinson received word from London that Parliament had little time for his concerns in Boston and MA, which was in large part due to the troubles of the British East India Tea Company.
By no later than mid-March 1773, one-third of MA’s towns had created their own Committees of Correspondence (C of C), and Adams looked to in effect franchise the C of C to other colonies. As things stood at that point, any news MA received concerning another colony, such as South Carolina, arrived from Britain, and a Colonial communications systems network would drastically reduce the communications time lag. Adams knew that the Hutchinsons of the Colonies used the lack of communication between the Colonies to their advantage, playing colonies off against each other whenever possible. Adams believed that a C of C that worked throughout the Colonies would go a long way to guarantee Colonial security.
Adams asked PA’s John Dickinson, the author of “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania”, to publish a response to Hutchinson’s lecture to the MA House. VA started to create their own
C of C’s, and it seemed that the “infection” was spreading. In the MA House election in the Spring of 1773, Adams received all but six votes, which was an incredible political recovery from 1772, and it appeared that once again he had Hancock and Otis in his orbit. And to Hutchinson’s horror, the Council was following the lead of Adams and the MA House. Hutchinson received word from London that Parliament had little time for his concerns in Boston and MA, which was in large part due to the troubles of the British East India Tea Company.
During early-1773, a bundle of letters from London arrived, sent to an associate of Adams. The instructions were to keep the letters secret, read them but make no copies, and then to secretly return them. The documents came courtesy of Benjamin Franklin, the PA agent in London, of whom the letters had been given by someone that stole them from a London official. Among the documents were six letters from Hutchinson, written during the late-1760s. Adams believed that if the contents of Hutchinson’s letters were made public, MA would be rid of Hutchinson forever. Franklin asserted that the letters would exonerate Parliament and the Crown, showing that the Colonial middle-managers, such as Hutchinson, had intentionally reduced liberties in the Colonies. Franklin also stated that once the true villains were outed, Anglo-American relations could resume afresh.
While the letters could not be published, there was no prohibition talking about them, which left Adams free to use insinuation and innuendo at his discretion. By May 1773, rumors were fluttering around Boston and the surrounding areas in MA of proof of a vast long-standing conspiracy. After teasing Boston and MA with the rumors, Adams soon announced to the MA House that he would soon share a huge discovery, which would in essence return the Colonies to how things were with Britain in 1760. Adams created a sensation by building the suspense, and on 2 June 1773 he announced to the MA House that he had in his possession explosive and damning letters which proved very harmful to MA.
While the letters could not be published, there was no prohibition talking about them, which left Adams free to use insinuation and innuendo at his discretion. By May 1773, rumors were fluttering around Boston and the surrounding areas in MA of proof of a vast long-standing conspiracy. After teasing Boston and MA with the rumors, Adams soon announced to the MA House that he would soon share a huge discovery, which would in essence return the Colonies to how things were with Britain in 1760. Adams created a sensation by building the suspense, and on 2 June 1773 he announced to the MA House that he had in his possession explosive and damning letters which proved very harmful to MA.
Adams stated that the letters would only be shared under exacting circumstances, in that the chamber needed to be closed to the public, and the letters could only be read out loud by him, and that all members be sworn to secrecy. Adams then read Hutchinson’s six letters, and the MA House immediately voted that the letters violated the MA constitution. Adams’ name appeared at the top of the list of 82 MA House members that demanded the recall of both MA Governor Hutchinson and Lt. Governor Oliver.
At the end of June 1773, the MA House sent a petition to King George III to remove both men, thinking that the Crown would not tolerate both continuing in their current posts since they had lost the confidence of an entire colony. Hutchinson demanded to see the letters, which caused a problem for Adams, since he had been instructed to never share them. Adams enlisted Hancock to fabricate a lie on how the letters came to be in their possession. Hancock claimed that in July 1773 he was simply walking across Boston Common, and someone slipped him a collection of papers. Hancock assumed they were copies of the original letters. Hancock continued by saying that if Adams confirmed the letters were copies, then those letters could be published. The reasoning of Adams was that if the letters were deemed “copies”, then publication would not constitute a violation of the secrecy agreement.
At the end of June 1773, the MA House sent a petition to King George III to remove both men, thinking that the Crown would not tolerate both continuing in their current posts since they had lost the confidence of an entire colony. Hutchinson demanded to see the letters, which caused a problem for Adams, since he had been instructed to never share them. Adams enlisted Hancock to fabricate a lie on how the letters came to be in their possession. Hancock claimed that in July 1773 he was simply walking across Boston Common, and someone slipped him a collection of papers. Hancock assumed they were copies of the original letters. Hancock continued by saying that if Adams confirmed the letters were copies, then those letters could be published. The reasoning of Adams was that if the letters were deemed “copies”, then publication would not constitute a violation of the secrecy agreement.
A MA House committee declared the “copies” to be genuine to the originals, and that Hutchinson’s letters would appear in four Boston newspapers, including the Gazette; even Hutchinson’s friends kept their distance after publication. Adams succeeded in turning six letters from Hutchinson that were in-and-of-themselves harmless, into the “Crime of the Century”. None of the letters were written by Hutchinson as MA Governor, but that didn’t matter due to Adams’s machinations.
Adams succeeded in getting the vast majority in Boston and MA to listen to him instead of actually reading the letters that were published in the newspapers. Adams set in motion a chain of events that would doom Hutchinson in the Colonies and sink Benjamin Franklin in Britain. Franklin (whom Adams didn’t entirely trust), who never expected the letters he sent to be made public, was made a revolutionary.
On 21 October 1773, a secret Boston C of C letter was sent to other C of C’s, informing them what was going on with the British East India Tea Company (BEITC). It had become common enough knowledge among many Colonists that the BEITC was in deep financial trouble, and that the British government was arranging to ship that corporation’s tea to the Colonies. Adams was already suggesting that the Colonies resist and subvert the rumored British scheme. Adams had no way of knowing that many ships loaded with British East India Tea had already set sail for the Colonies, with four of those ships sailing for Boston . . .
Adams succeeded in getting the vast majority in Boston and MA to listen to him instead of actually reading the letters that were published in the newspapers. Adams set in motion a chain of events that would doom Hutchinson in the Colonies and sink Benjamin Franklin in Britain. Franklin (whom Adams didn’t entirely trust), who never expected the letters he sent to be made public, was made a revolutionary.
On 21 October 1773, a secret Boston C of C letter was sent to other C of C’s, informing them what was going on with the British East India Tea Company (BEITC). It had become common enough knowledge among many Colonists that the BEITC was in deep financial trouble, and that the British government was arranging to ship that corporation’s tea to the Colonies. Adams was already suggesting that the Colonies resist and subvert the rumored British scheme. Adams had no way of knowing that many ships loaded with British East India Tea had already set sail for the Colonies, with four of those ships sailing for Boston . . .