| The Boston Pamphlet and The Committees of Correspondence |
The Boston Pamphlet was a pamphlet published in Boston in 1772. Written by
members of the Boston Committee of Correspondence, the pamphlet outlined the
rights of British American colonists and indicated how recent British policies were
in violation of those rights.
It was officially known as "The Votes and Proceedings of the Freeholders and
other Inhabitants of The Town of Boston, In Town Meeting assembled, According
to Law"
The Boston Pamphlet had three sections of original material: "A State of the Rights
of the Colonists", a "List of Infringements and Violation[s] of Rights", and a "Letter
of Correspondence" addressed to the other towns of the Massachusetts colony.
Traditionally, authorship of the three sections was attributed to Samuel Adams,
Joseph Warren, and Benjamin Church, respectively, but each part was probably
the group effort of a committee. A fourth section contained correspondence
between Governor Thomas Hutchinson and the town of Boston.
The issue was the decision of the British government to pay the salaries of the
governor, lieutenant governor, and judges of Massachusetts, which were
previously paid by the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Colonists were
alarmed because this was a step away from responsible government, effectively
making their leading officials independent of the electorate.
In 1773, the Boston Committee of Correspondence printed 600 copies of the
pamphlet and distributed them throughout the colony. Many other Massachusetts
towns responded by passing similar resolves and forming their own committees of
correspondence. In the late winter and spring of 1773, at least 119 towns held
meetings in response to Boston's letter; another 25 towns followed suit by the end
of the summer. Each town articulated the views of its male citizens as to the rights
and responsibilities of rulers and subjects. The Pamphlet insured that a common
language of natural rights and social contracts spread throughout the colony.
The Massachusetts Committees of Correspondence became an important link in a
national chain of a revolutionary infrastructure.
members of the Boston Committee of Correspondence, the pamphlet outlined the
rights of British American colonists and indicated how recent British policies were
in violation of those rights.
It was officially known as "The Votes and Proceedings of the Freeholders and
other Inhabitants of The Town of Boston, In Town Meeting assembled, According
to Law"
The Boston Pamphlet had three sections of original material: "A State of the Rights
of the Colonists", a "List of Infringements and Violation[s] of Rights", and a "Letter
of Correspondence" addressed to the other towns of the Massachusetts colony.
Traditionally, authorship of the three sections was attributed to Samuel Adams,
Joseph Warren, and Benjamin Church, respectively, but each part was probably
the group effort of a committee. A fourth section contained correspondence
between Governor Thomas Hutchinson and the town of Boston.
The issue was the decision of the British government to pay the salaries of the
governor, lieutenant governor, and judges of Massachusetts, which were
previously paid by the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Colonists were
alarmed because this was a step away from responsible government, effectively
making their leading officials independent of the electorate.
In 1773, the Boston Committee of Correspondence printed 600 copies of the
pamphlet and distributed them throughout the colony. Many other Massachusetts
towns responded by passing similar resolves and forming their own committees of
correspondence. In the late winter and spring of 1773, at least 119 towns held
meetings in response to Boston's letter; another 25 towns followed suit by the end
of the summer. Each town articulated the views of its male citizens as to the rights
and responsibilities of rulers and subjects. The Pamphlet insured that a common
language of natural rights and social contracts spread throughout the colony.
The Massachusetts Committees of Correspondence became an important link in a
national chain of a revolutionary infrastructure.