USA > Massachusetts > The history of Massachusetts, the provincial period. 1692-1775 v. II > Part 45
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Meanwhile, attention continued to be paid to military disci- pline ; and old guns were repaired, knapsacks were brought out, and every one was anxious to be properly accoutred. County conventions were likewise called, in which the affairs of the province were debated ; and the people of the interior assured their friends in the metropolis and its vicinity that "they were never more firm and zealous, and that they looked to the last extremity with spirit and resolution." 3 Some, in-
and covenant," was vehemently op- posed by Gage as an " unlawful, hos- tile, and traitorous combination ; " and he charged all magistrates to appre- hend and secure for trial such as should have any share in aiding or abetting the same. Boston Post Boy for June 27, 1774; Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 248; Andrews's Am. Rev. i. 141; Ramsay's Am. Rev. i. 126; Bradford, i. 323.
Boston Post Boy for June 20, 1774 ; Boston News Letter for June 23, 1774.
2 Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 247, 249; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 7. Salem, in particular, sent to Gage a memorial against the port bill breath- ing the noblest and purest spirit, and declaring that they should be dead to every idea of justice, and lost to all
feelings of humanity, could they in- dulge one thought to seize on wealth, and raise their fortunes on the ruins of their suffering neighbors. Boston Post Boy for May 20, 1774; An- drews's Am. Rev. i. 138; Ramsay's Am. Rev. i. 124.
3 Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 249 ; Brad- ford, i. 333. " Husbands and wives," writes. Gordon, " parents and children, brothers and sisters, lovers, the young and the old, seem possessed of, or rather to be possessed by, a martial spirit, and are fired with an enthusias- tic zeal for liberty. In most places, but particularly in Berkshire and Worcester counties, where the influ- ence of government was supposed to prevail most, nothing is to be seen or heard of except the purchasing of arms and ammunition, the casting of balls,
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487
POSITION OF GAGE.
deed, took still stronger ground, and declared that "if the CHAP. king violates his faith to, or compact with, any one part of his XIV. empire, he discharges the subjects of that part of their alle- 1774. giance to him, dismembers them from his kingdom, and reduces them to the state of nature ; so that, in such case, he ceases to be their king, and his governor, set over such part as his rep- resentative, ceases to have any lawful authority to govern that people ; and they are at liberty to form themselves into an independent state."1 With such a spirit abroad, which was daily strengthening, there was reason to hope that when the crisis came, it would be properly met. But the loyalists were not inactive ; and Gage wrote to Dartmouth, "There is now an open opposition to the faction, carried on with a warmth and spirit unknown before, which it is highly proper and neces- sary to cherish and support by every means ; and I hope it will not be long before it produces salutary effects." 2
That the new governor was unfit for the position he filled soon became evident to all except his particular friends. Arro- gant in the discharge of his office, and adding to incapacity gross insincerity in his intercourse with the people, his course. was, if any thing, more obnoxious than that of Bernard. Offi- cial copies of the recent acts of Parliament, which "cut away the scaffolding of English freedom," were received by his excel- lency early in August ; and he was instructed at all hazards to Aug. 6. put them in force.3 With these orders there came a nomina- tion of thirty-six councillors, twenty-four of whom immediately accepted. Their first meeting was held two days after ; and a Aug. 8. meeting of the whole was called on the sixteenth, soon after Aug.16. which the judges proceeded to hold courts, and the sheriffs to summon juries. The question of obedience now came up ; and the people were ready and prepared to meet it. The council-
and the making of all those prepara- tions which testify the most immediate danger and determined resistance."
1 Bradford, i. 333, 334.
2 Letter of Gage, in Parl. Reg. for
1775; Frothingham's Siege of Bos- ton, 7.
3 Andrews's Am. Rev. i. 145 ; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 9.
488
COUNTY CONVENTIONS CALLED.
CHAP. lors who had accepted their appointments were compelled to XIV. resign or to flee to Boston ; and in one of the western towns,1
1774. the judges, on attempting to hold courts, were driven from the bench.2 At length the committee of Worcester suggested a meeting of the different committees, to conclude upon a plan of operation for the province ; and the Boston committee, at Aug. 26 their request, called such a meeting at Faneuil Hall, in which and 27. it was resolved that a Provincial Congress was necessary to counteract the systems of despotism ; that, previous to the meeting of such Congress, the courts ought to be opposed, and the officers holding them be branded as traitors ; that "every defender of the rights of the province or of the continent ought to be supported by the whole country, and, if need be, by the province ; " and that, "as a necessary means to secure the rights of the people, the military art, according to the Norfolk plan, ought to be attentively practised." 3
The inhabitants of Middlesex were the first to act on these resolves ; and at a convention at Concord of one hundred and Aug.30. fifty delegates, from every town and district in the county, it was declared that to obey the recent acts of Parliament " would be to annihilate the last vestiges of liberty in this province ; and therefore we must be justified by God and the world in never submitting to them." "No danger," they added, " shall affright, no difficulties intimidate us ; and if, in support of our rights, we are called to encounter even death, we are yet un- daunted, sensible that he can never die too soon who lays down his life in support of the laws and liberties of his country." 4
The governor, in view of these proceedings, determined to call in the aid of his troops to disperse public meetings and protect the courts ; and his first attempt was made at Salem,
1 Great Barrington. Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 253.
2 Ramsay's Am. Rev. i. 126, 127; Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 253 ; Andrews's Am. Rev. i. 145; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 10.
3 Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 11, 361-363, from MSS. in the Mass. Hist. Soc.
4 Boston News Letter for Sept. 15, 1774 ; Frothingham's Siege of Bos- ton, 12.
489
MOVEMENTS OF GAGE.
where a meeting was convened to elect delegates to a county CHAP: convention to be held at Ipswich. But his proclamation did XIV. not prevent the meeting of the convention ; nor did the de- 1774. Aug.24. tachment which he sent to enforce his orders awe the people, who transacted their business and adjourned, much to the dis- comfiture of his excellency, who gratified his resentment by arresting three of the originators of the assembly.1
His next step was to secure the cannon and powder of the province ; and at the instance of Brattle, a detachment of two hundred and sixty men, under Lieutenant Colonel Maddison, was sent at an early hour, in thirteen boats, to the powder Sept. 1. house on Quarry Hill, in that part of Charlestown now called Somerville ; and two hundred and fifty barrels of powder - about thirteen tons in all - were seized and carried off. An- other detachment was likewise sent to Cambridge, and two field pieces, lately procured for the regiment of that place, were taken, with which the party proceeded to Castle William.2 The people, indignant at these movements, collected in great numbers, and many were in favor of attempting to recapture the powder and cannon ; but more prudent counsels prevailed ; and on the following day they repaired in a body to the resi- Sept. 2: dence of Lieutenant Governor Oliver, and obliged him to resign his office, and procured the resignation of other important officers.3 The seizure of the stores of the province, in the mean time, was magnified into a report that Boston had been cannonaded ; and bells were rung, and beacon fires were light- ed, which called in crowds from the country towns, and even from other provinces, who, with arms in their hands, hastened to the supposed scene of danger.4
1 Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 253 ; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 13. 2 J. Adams, Diary, in Works, ii. 370 ; Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 254; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 13, and Hist. Charlestown, 301, 302.
Boston Gazette for Sept. 5, 1774; Cordon's Am. Rev. i. 254 ; Ramsay's
Am. Rev. i. 127 ; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 14, and Hist. Charles- town, 302-305.
4 J. Adams's Diary, in Works, ii. 368; Gage to Dartmouth, Sept. 25, 1774 ; Frothingham's Siege of Bos- ton, 14, and Hist. Charlestown, 302- 305; Lincoln's Hist. Worcester, 96.
490
THE NECK FORTIFIED.
CHAP. XIV. Satisfied by this time that he had kindled a fire which could not be easily quenched, the governor, in his despatches to Eng- 1774. land, declared that " the flames of sedition had spread univer- sally throughout the country beyond conception ;" and that nothing could be done but by forcible means.1 But the people scorned his most violent menaces ; and no pains were spared to secure and secrete their remaining stores. Hence cannon and muskets were stealthily removed from Boston to the coun- Sep. 15. try ; and the guns were taken from an old battery in Charles- town, where the navy yard now is.2
Previous to this date, Gage had resolved to erect fortifica- tions on the neck, which commanded the entrance to the town ; Sept. 5. and the people, alarmed at these demonstrations, protested, through the selectmen, against his proceedings. His excel- lency replied that it was necessary to provide for the safety of the troops, and that he had no design to stop up the avenue, or to check the ingress or egress of the peaceably disposed. Accordingly he went on with the works, and soon mounted two twenty-four pounders and eight nine pounders. The select- Sept. 9. men again protested, and declared that such conduct, in their estimation, evinced a determination to reduce the metropolis to the state of a garrison ; but his excellency repeated his for- mer assurances, and suggested that, as he was peaceably dis- posed, if the people would be likewise peaceable no difficulties would arise. Thus the controversy continued. The governor persisted in adhering to his plans, and the people commented upon his course with asperity.3
Sept. 5.
In the mean time the CONTINENTAL CONGRESS assembled at Carpenter's Hall, in Philadelphia. Peyton Randolph was chosen president, and Charles Thomson secretary. The meet- ings were opened with prayer, and the convention was organ-
1 Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 14. 2 Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 15, and Hist. Charlestown, 306.
3 Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 254, 255 ; Jour. Cont. Cong. i. 14-19 ; Froth- ingham's Siege of Boston, 16, 17.
491
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS.
ized with all the solemnities of a regular legislature.1 The CHAP. most eminent men of America were there ; and all were im- XIV. pressed with the importance of the business they had met to 1774. transact .? The liberties of three millions of people were at stake ; the waves of tyranny were sweeping over the land ; and whether they would be able to breast those waves depend- ed upon their prudence, their calmness, and unity. Is it sur- prising that, at first, a deathlike silence pervaded the meeting ? This silence was broken by Patrick Henry, the Demosthenes of his day, who, with the glowing eloquence for which he was distinguished, recited the wrongs which the people had endured, for which redress was imperiously demanded. His speech was at once both noble and manly ; and on taking his seat, mur- murs of applause and astonishment were heard. The gifted Lee, who has been compared to Cicero, participated in the debate, in an address of classic elegance, which filled the ear with bewitching harmony, and charmed the senses with exqui- site imagery. But eloquence alone did not carry the day. Ripened wisdom, calm reflection, delicacy, caution, and all the elements which are essential to the conduct of a deliberative assembly, were possessed by that body in a remarkable degree ; and these qualities, which can alone direct with entire success measures affecting the destinies of a continent, enabled them to move on with dignity and power.3
Three weeks were spent in reading addresses, appointing
1 For a list of the members, nearly half of whom were lawyers, see the Journals of the Congress, i. 3, 4. The committee for Massachusetts took their departure from Boston on the 10th of August. J. Adams's Diary, in Works, ii. 340; also, ibid. 365, 368.
2 ." Mr. Deane says the sense of Connecticut is, that the resolutions of the Congress shall be the laws of the Medes and Persians; that the Con- gress is the grandest and most impor- tant body ever held in America ; and that the all of America is intrusted to
it and depends upon it." J. Adams's Diary, in Works, ii. 341. Comp. Reed's Reed, i. 75; Ramsay's Am. Rev. i. 133; Grahame, ii. 493; and Lord Mahon's Hist. Eng. vi. 14.
J. Adams's Diary, in Works, ii. 365-368; Lord Mahon's Hist. Eng. vi. 15 ; Wirt's Patrick Henry, 124- 126. It is said that the ministry in England sent large sums to New York to bribe the delegates from that colo- ny to oppose the proceedings of the Congress. Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 284, 285.
492
PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS.
CHAP. committees, and preparing for business ; when, having approved XIV. the Boston resolutions, towards the last of the month it was 1774. resolved unanimously "that from and after the first day of Sep. 27. December next there be no importation into British America, from Great Britain or Ireland, of any goods, wares, or mer- chandise whatever, or from any other place of any such goods, wares, or merchandises as shall have been exported from Great Britain or Ireland ; and that no such goods, &c., imported after the said first day of December next be used or pur- Sep. 30. chased."1 Three days later another resolve was passed, that " from and after the tenth day of September, 1775, the expor- tation of all merchandise, and every commodity whatsoever, to Great Britain, Ireland, and the West Indies, ought to cease, unless the grievances of America are redressed before that time." 2
With these preliminaries settled, the convention was pre- pared for the adoption of further measures ; and a committee Oct. 1. was appointed to bring in a loyal address to the king, dutifully requesting his attention to the grievances which alarmed and distressed his subjects in North America ; an able declaration Oct. 14. of rights, embodied in eleven articles, was reported, debated, Oct. 18. and passed ; an address to the people of England was draught- Oct. 19. ed, another to the people of Canada, and a memorial to the inhabitants of the British American colonies ; a non-importa- Oct. 20. tion agreement was drawn up and subscribed ; and a letter to Oct. 26. the agents of the colonies in England was prepared.3 In all things the business of the convention was conducted with pro- priety ; and after its session had continued for seven weeks, the meeting was dissolved.
Every eye was now fixed upon Boston, once the seat of
1 Jour. Cont. Cong. i. 21. seq. ; Lord Mahon's Hist. Eng. vi. 15, 2 Jour. Cont. Cong. i. 21. 16. The declaration of rights was 3 Jour. Cont. Cong. i. 22, 26-68; substantially the same as that adopted by the people of Boston, an abstract of which has already been given.
Andrews's Am. Rev. i. 157-170 ; Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 258-268; J. Adams's Diary, in Works, ii. 370 et
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493
CONDITION OF BOSTON.
commerce and plenty, and inhabited by an enterprising and CHAP. hospitable people. The cause in which it suffered was regarded XIV. as the common cause of the country. A hostile fleet lay in its 1774. harbor ; hostile troops paraded its streets. The tents of an army dotted its Common ; cannon were planted in commanding positions. Its port was closed ; its wharves were deserted ; its commerce was paralyzed ; its shops were shut ; and many were reduced from affluence to poverty. Yet a resolute spirit inspired them still. Loyalists, indeed, were numerous and ardent, exulting over the sorrows and distresses of their neigh- bors. But with whatever confidence they relied upon the mil- itary talents of the governor, and his fixed resolution to enforce his instructions, the "Sons of Liberty " knew no despair ; and the " Liberty Song," set to the tune of " Smile Britannia," bade the citizens of the beleaguered town
" Be not dismayed ! Though tyrants now oppress, Though fleets and troops invade, You soon will have redress. The resolution of the brave Will injured Massachusetts save." 1
For a time unusual quietness reigned ; so much so that Gage and the officers of the army began to flatter themselves that the people were subdued.2 But this stillness was ominous, and would have been so construed by his excellency, had he been thoroughly acquainted with the temper of the people. Sub- mission was the last thought of the patriots of Boston. They were preparing for resistance, preparing in secret, preparing
1 Essex Gazette for Oct. 25, 1774 ; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 39, where the whole song, in six verses, is given.
2 " The faction in Boston is now very low. Believe me, all ranks of people are heartily tired of disorder
and confusion ; and, as soon as the de- termination of Great Britain to despise their resolves and petitions is known, all will be very quiet." Letter of Nov. 3, 1774, in Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 40, note.
494
THE WOMEN OF MASSACHUSETTS.
CHAP. with a fixed, determinate purpose. The town was full of clubs XIV. and caucuses, which were used with effect to secure unity of 1774. action ; and the hardy mechanics, who had done so much to promote the industrial prosperity of the metropolis, and who now acted as patrols, were the steady supporters of the patriot cause. In vain were the artifices of loyalists employed to seduce them to compliance with the wishes of his excellency ; and when their services were required at the barracks, "all Sep. 26. the carpenters of the town and country " left off work ; and British gold was powerless to tempt them, though "hundreds were ruined, and thousands were half starved."1 Nay, they went farther, and obstructed the works of the governor. His supplies of straw were set on fire ; his boats conveying bricks were sunk; and his wagons laden with timber were over- turned.2
Nor should the noble example of woman be forgotten. Mothers and daughters infused their own earnest, principled spirit of resistance to tyranny into the bosoms of fathers and sons, and addressed to them words of persuasion and encourage- ment ; and none more cheerfully than they submitted to priva- tions, or encountered the trials which fall with peculiar hardship on their sex. Exposed to the brutal passions of the soldiery, and conscious that they were bringing upon themselves manifold sorrows, they yet counselled not with fear ; but, devoting them- selves to the cause of their country, they were ready to sacrifice home and its charms, life and its endearments, and all the countless blessings of peace, rather than give up - what was dearer than all - liberty, without which life is a curse. Those gentler emotions which are their ornament and pride, and even their natural aversion to blood, were, for the time, to give way to a sterner and more resolute temper. Yet, withal, they moved in the new sphere opened to them with the same quiet dignity and the same deep tenderness which render their pres-
1 Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 270 ; Froth- ingham's Siege of Boston, 25, 26.
2 Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 252; Lord Mahon's Hist. Eng. vi. 12.
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495
THE PROVINCIAL CONGRESS.
ence a blessing at all times ; and the delicate offices which CHAP. none but their hands could so well perform, in the hour of trial XIV. assuaged the pain of many a wound, and relieved the ghastli- 1774. ness and horrors of death.
Writs were issued early in September convening the General Sept. 1. ! Court at Salem on the fifth of October ; but before that time arrived, a proclamation from the governor dissolved the assem- Sep. 28. bly. For this step the patriots of the province were prepared ; and, pursuant to the course which had been already agreed upon, after meeting on the appointed day, they resolved them- Oct. 5. selves into a PROVINCIAL CONGRESS.1 The first session of this body, so memorable in our annals, was held at Salem on Fri- day, the seventh of October ; the meeting was temporarily Oct. 7. organized by choosing John Hancock chairman and Benjamin Lincoln clerk, and was adjourned to the following Tuesday, then to meet at the court house in Concord.2 Finding the court house too small for their purpose, however, the meeting Oct. 11. house was procured ; the Congress was permanently organized by choosing John Hancock president and Benjamin Lincoln clerk ; and provisions were made for opening the session each day with prayer.3 A committee on the state of the province was next appointed ; and an address to his excellency the gov- ernor was reported, which was ordered to be printed in the Oct. 13. Boston newspapers ; 4 the several constables and collectors throughout the province, having moneys in their hands paya- ble to the order of Harrison Gray, Esq., were advised to retain the same, subject to the advice of a constitutional assembly ; 5 and the convention was adjourned to the town of Cambridge.
On assembling at this place, a message from the governor Oct. 17. was read to the meeting, in which, after speaking of his inten-
1 Jour. Prov. Cong. 3, 4; Gordon's Am. Rev. i. 268; Ramsay's Am. Rev. i. 129; Andrews's Am. Rev. i. 150; Lord Mahon's Hist. Eng. vi. 17; Frothingham's Siege of Boston, 41.
2 Jour. Prov. Cong. 7-15, where
the list of the members is given ; Gor- don's Am. Rev. i. 269.
Jour. Prov. Cong. 15, 16; Gor- don's Am. Rev. i. 269. 4 Jour. Prov. Cong. 17, 18; Gor- don's Am. Rev. i. 269.
5 Jour. Prov. Cong. 19.
496
PROCEEDINGS OF THIS CONGRESS.
CHAP. tion to pursue his measures for constructing a fortress in Bos- XIV. ton, he declared that Britain could "never harbor the black 1774. design of wantonly destroying or enslaving any people on earth," and warned them of the "rock they were upon," and required them to " desist from such illegal and unconstitutional proceedings." 1 For some days the business of the Congress was conducted with closed doors; committees of safety, of inquiry, and on the state of the province were appointed ; and every thing was done that could be to prepare for the crisis which was rapidly hastening. A protest against slavery was likewise introduced, " purporting the propriety, that, while we are attempting to free ourselves from our present embarrass- ments, and preserve ourselves from slavery, we also take into consideration the state and circumstances of the negro slaves in this province." And it should be said, to the honor of the people of Massachusetts, - who had ever at heart been op- posed to this institution, who had legislated for its suppression, and who felt the inconsistency of holding in bondage one class of their fellow-beings while they were struggling to secure their own freedom, - that this subject, once introduced, was never lost sight of until measures were taken which ended in the extinction of so great an evil.2
Oct. 26.
As the improvement of the militia was an object of impor- tance, arrangements were made for increasing the quantity of warlike stores, and organizing an army ; and the several towns and districts in the province were advised to "see that each Dec. 10. of the minute men not already provided therewith should be immediately equipped with an effective 'firearm, bayonet, pouch, knapsack, and thirty rounds of cartridge and balls, and be disciplined three times a week, and oftener as opportunity may offer ; "3 and in the second Congress, where any deficiency in
1 Jour. Prov. Cong. 20, 21; Gor- don's Am. Rev. i. 269.
2 Jour. Prov. Cong. 29.
3 Jour. Prov. Cong. 33, 34, 47, 71. Jedediah Preble, Artemas Ward, and Seth Pomeroy were elected gen- eral officers, to have the command of
the militia if called into action ; but Preble did not accept, and John Thomas and William Heath were sub- sequently appointed. Gordon, i. 270 ; Ramsay's Am. Rev. i. 130; Frothing- ham's Siege of Boston, 41, 42.
497
MOVEMENTS OF THE LOYALISTS.
arms or accoutrements was found, the selectmen of the towns CHAP. were instructed to supply the same "out of the town stock ; XIV. and in case of a deficiency there, to apply to such inhabitants 1774. as can best spare their arms or accoutrements, and to borrow or purchase the same for the use of the inhabitants so enlist- ing." 1 A receiver general was likewise chosen, to act as the Oct. 28. treasurer of the province, and Henry Gardner was selected for that purpose ; 2 sympathy was expressed for the town of Bos- ton and its neighbor, Charlestown ; 3 the proceedings of the Continental Congress were approved, and delegates to a new Congress were chosen ; 4 an address to the clergy was pre- pared ; 5 a committee was appointed to report on the popula- tion of the province, and the state of manufactures ; 6 an ad- dress was sent out "to the freeholders and other inhabitants of the towns and districts of Massachusetts Bay ; "7 and after providing for calling a future Congress, the meeting was dis- Dec. 10. solved.8
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