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The committee of correspondence was a body organized by the local governments of the American colonies for the purposes of coordinating written communication outside of the colony. These served an important role in the American Revolution and the years leading up to it, disseminating the colonial interpretation of British actions between the colonies and to foreign governments. The committees of correspondence rallied opposition on common causes and established plans for collective action, and so the group of committees was the beginning of what later became a formal political union among the colonies. Committee of correspondence may refer to: Committee of correspondence, a body organized by the local governments of the American colonies for the purposes of coordinating written communication outside of the colony. ... Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ... John Trumbulls Declaration of Independence, showing the five-man committee in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia The American Revolution refers to the period during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen...

As news during this period was typically spread in hand-written letters to be carried by couriers on horseback or aboard ships, the committees were responsible for ensuring that this news accurately reflected the views of their parent governmental body on a particular issue and was dispatched to the proper groups. Many correspondents were also members of the colonial legislative assemblies, and were active in the secret Sons of Liberty organizations. This article discusses the early American patriot group. ...

History

The earliest committees of correspondence were formed temporarily to address a particular problem. Once a resolution was achieved, they were disbanded. The first formal committee was established in Boston, in 1764, to rally opposition to the Currency Act and unpopular reforms imposed on the customs service. Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... The Currency Act of 1764 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (citation 4 Geo. ...

During the Stamp Act Crisis the following year, New York formed a committee to urge common resistance among its neighbors to the new taxes. The Massachusetts Bay Colony correspondents responded by urging other colonies to send delegates to the Stamp Act Congress that fall. The Stamp Act of 1765 (short title Duties in American Colonies Act 1765; 5 George III, c. ... A map of the Province of New York. ... A map of the Massachusetts Bay Colony Capital Charlestown, Boston History  - Established 1629  - New England Confederation 1643  - Dominion of New England 1686  - Province of Massachusetts Bay 1692  - Disestablished 1692 The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called the Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it) was an English settlement on... The Stamp Act Congress was a meeting in New York City in October of 1765 consisting of delegates from 9 of the 13 colonies that discussed and acted upon the recently passed Stamp Act. ...

The Gaspee Affair in June, 1772 prompted the colonies to form Committees of Correspondence. The Gaspée Affair was an important incident in the course of the American Revolution. ...

In Massachusetts, in November 1772, Samuel Adams and Joseph Warren formed a committee in response to the Gaspee Affair and in relation to the recent British decision to have the salaries of the royal governor and judges be paid by the Crown rather than the colonial assembly, which removed the colony of its means of controlling public officials. In the following months, more than 100 other committees were formed in the towns and villages of Massachusetts. The Massachusetts committee had its headquarters in Boston and under the leadership of Adams became a model revolutionary organization. The meeting when establishing the committee gave it the task of stating "the rights of the colonists, and of this province in particular, as men, as Christians, and as subjects; to communicate and publish the same to the several towns in this province and to the world as the sense of this town".^[1] For other uses, see Samuel Adams (disambiguation). ... This article is about the American doctor, soldier and statesman during the American Revolutionary War. ... The Gaspée Affair was an important incident in the course of the American Revolution. ...

In March 1773, Dabney Carr proposed the formation of a permanent Committee of Correspondence before the Virginia House of Burgesses. Virginia's own committee was formed on March 12, 1773 and consisted of Peyton Randolph, Robert Carter Nicholas, Richard Bland, Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Harrison, Edmund Pendleton, Patrick Henry, Dudley Digges, Dabney Carr, Archibald Cary, and Thomas Jefferson. Dabney Carr (April 27, 1773 - January 8, 1837) was born in Albemarle County, Virginia (some sources say he was born in Richmond, Virginia) just three weeks prior to the death of his father, also named Dabney Carr, brother-in-law and close friend of Thomas Jefferson. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Patrick Henry before the House of Burgesses in an 1851 painting by Peter F. The House of Burgesses was the first elected legislative assembly in the New World established in the Colony of Virginia in 1619. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1773 (MDCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... For a later governor of Virginia see Peyton Randolph (governor). ... Robert Carter Nicholas (1793 - December 24, 1857) was a United States Senator from Louisiana. ... Richard Bland (1710-1776) was an American planter and statesman from Virginia. ... Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732–June 19, 1794) was an American who served as the sixth President of the United States in Congress assembled under the Articles of Confederation, holding office from November 30, 1784 to November 22, 1785. ... Benjamin Harrison V Benjamin Harrison (V) (April 5, 1726 – April 24, 1791) was an American planter and revolutionary leader from Charles City County, Virginia. ... Edmund Pendleton (September 9, 1721-October 23, 1803) was a Virginia politician, lawyer and judge, active in the American Revolutionary War. ... Patrick Henry (May 29, 1736 – June 6, 1799) was a prominent figure in the American Revolution, known and remembered primarily for his stirring oratory. ... Sir Dudley Digges (Digges Court, Barham, Kent, 19 May ca 1583–18 March 1639), of Chilham Castle, Kent (which he completed in 1616), was a Member of Parliament, elected to the Parliament of 1614 [1] and that of 1621, and also a Virginia adventurer, an investor who ventured his capital... Dabney Carr (April 27, 1773 - January 8, 1837) was born in Albemarle County, Virginia (some sources say he was born in Richmond, Virginia) just three weeks prior to the death of his father, also named Dabney Carr, brother-in-law and close friend of Thomas Jefferson. ... Archibald Cary (January 24, 1721 – February 26, 1787)[1] was a member of the House of Burgesses. ... Thomas Jefferson (13 April 1743 N.S.–4 July 1826) was the third President of the United States (1801–09), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence (1776), and one of the most influential Founding Fathers for his promotion of the ideals of Republicanism in the United States. ...

Within a year all of the other colonies except for Pennsylvania had such committees^[2]

They organized common resistance to the Tea Act and even recruited physicians who wrote drinking tea would make Americans "weak, effeminate, and valetudinarian for life". The Tea Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (13 Geo III c. ...

These permanent committees performed the important planning necessary for the First Continental Congress, which convened in September 1774. The Second Congress created its own committee of correspondence to communicate the American interpretation of events to foreign nations. The First Continental Congress was a body of representatives appointed by the legislatures of twelve North American colonies of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1774. ...

On December 17, 1774 John Lamb and others in New York City formed the New York committee. This committee included Isaac Sears, Alexander McDougall, and others. John Lamb may refer to: John Lambe, English astrologer and adviser to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham John Lamb (United States Congressman), former U.S. Congressman John Lamb (Vice-Chancellor), Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University John Lamb (bassist), bassist John Lamb oscar winner- film producer/director, animator, artist Category... A map of the Province of New York. ... Col Isaac King Sears (abt July 1 1730 - October 28, 1786) was an American merchant, captain, privateer and politician who played an important role in the American Revolution. ... Alexander McDougall (1731-1786) was an American seaman, merchant, and leader from New York City during the Revolutionary War. ...

These committees were replaced during the revolution with provincial congresses.

Footnotes

1. ^ Smith, pg. 368
2. ^ Divided Loyalties

References

• Ketchum, Richard, Divided Loyalties, How the American Revolution came to New York, 2002, ISBN 0-8050-6120-7
• Smith, Page, A New Age Now Begins, 1976, ISBN 0-07-059097-4

See also

Committee of Safety (American Revolution) Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. ...