Lexington, Concord & Connecticut: A Revolutionary Discussion

Down to the summer of 1774 most people in Massachusetts were reluctant to enter the opposition to British imperial policies. Most communities declined to associate themselves with the Boston Tea Party, and only a dozen or so towns maintained committees of correspondence. Then in August and September 1774 the Bay Colony exploded in fury over the so-called Intolerable Acts. In protest against Britain’s revocation of the Massachusetts charter, popular forces closed courts and intimidated Crown officials; they gathered in a Provincial Congress and seized the reins of power; and they mobilized manpower and resources to resist the King’s men, preparing the way for the Patriots to prevail on April 19, 1775. In effect, they were enacting independence without saying so – indeed while still professing loyalty to the British empire.

How and why did the Intolerable Acts trigger the revolution in the Bay Colony? This talk will explore the mobilization against British power in 1774-75, with reference to the towns of Lexington and Concord, where the fighting started and the War of Independence began. It will include comparisons with the Revolutionary movement in Connecticut.