Moving to the Declaration: April 9, 1774

I will be posting, as often as I can, what was happening in the Continental Congress leading up to the Declaration of Independence.

Remember, 2026 is NOT the United States of America’s Birthday. This is the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

April 9^th 1774

• Money allocated for the Army in New York.
• Resolution concerning the disposition of prisoners brought back from Canada.
• An Auditor General was elected.
• Established mechanisms across the Colonies for the handling and securing of prisoners.
• The Committee of Claims authorized payments to various individuals who provided provisions or services.

Letter of Samuel Adams to Arthur Lee.

[MS., Samuel Adams Papers, Lenox Library; a text with modifications is in R. H. Lee, Life of Arthur Lee, vol. ii., pp. 197-203; printed also in the Boston Gazette, May 23, 1774.]

BOSTON, 9 April 1773Dec

MY DEAR SIR

I must by no means omit to request you to present my most respectful Compliments to the Society of the Bill of Rights and return them my hearty Thanks for the great Honor they have done me in admitting me one of their Members. The Gentlemen may be assured that this unexpected mark of their Respect adds to the Obligation which I have ever held myself under, to employ the small Share of Ability which God has given me, in vindicating the Rights of my Country & Mankind.

I can now assure you, that the Efforts of this Town at their Meeting in November last, have had Effects which are extremely mortifying to our petty Tyrants. Every Art & every Instrument was made use of to prevent the Meetings of the Towns in the Country but to no purpose. It is no Wonder that a Measure calculated to promote a Correspondence and a free Communication among the people, should awaken Apprehensions; for they well know that it must detect their Falsehood in asserting that the people of this Country were satisfied with the Measures of the British parliament and the Administration of Government. Our Governor has in my Opinion merited greatly of the Ministry by his constant Endeavors, though in vain, to sooth & quiet the people & perswade them to think there were no Grievances that might “be seen felt or understood.” And when the House of Representatives in the last May Session, by almost a unanimous Vote remonstrated against his Independency, he, without the least Foundation in Truth, & for no other Reason that I can conceive but to give Countenance to his Patron Hillsborough, or to establish himself in his Government which he received with so great RELUCTANCE, did not scruple in his Speech at the Close of that Session, to insinuate that the House was under the Influence of a few factious members. No Speech of Bernards ever gave greater Disgust to the People, nor with more reason.

There has been another Session of the General Assembly, which began unexpectedly on the 6th of Jan last. It is my Opinion that it would have been postponed, as usual of late, till near the Close of our political Year, had it not been for the Boston Town Meeting; I mean to prevent the designed Effects of it, by giving an occasion to the small Jobbers in the Country to say, that “however expedient it might have been for them to have had their meetings before, it now becomes unnecessary & improper since their representatives are soon to meet in General Assembly.” This had an Influence in some Towns; and his EXCELLENCY, I suppose judged it more probable that he should be able to mannage the Members of the House and prevail upon them “to joyn with him in bearing Testimony against the UNWARRANTABLE Proceedings of Boston,” if they came together without having the explicit Sentiments of their Constituents.

At the Meeting of the Assembly, he thought proper to open a Controversy with the two Houses, for which I think Hillsbro would not thank him; for he has thereby defeated the favorite Design of the Ministry, which was to lull the people into Security, and for the effecting of which Design, he had before thought himself, or endeavored to make Administration believe he was entitled to so great a Share of Merit. It has been published in most of the Newspapers in the Continent & engages much of the Attention of the other Colonies. This, together with the proceedings of a CONTEMPTIBLE Town meeting, has awakned the Jealousy of all, & has particularly raised the Spirit of the most ancient & patriotick Colony of Virginia. Their manly Resolves have been transmitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in a printed Sheet of their Journals; and our Come of Correspondence have circulated Copies of them into every Town & District through the Province.¹

I wish I could hear more of Lord D. to qualify him for his high office, than merely that he is a GOOD Man. Goodness I confess is an essential, tho too rare a Qualification of a Minister of State. Possibly I may not have been informed of the whole of his Lordships Character. Without a Greatness of Mind adequate to the Importance of his Station, I fear he may find himself embarrassed with his present Connections. It can easily be conceived what principle induced Lord North to recommend to that Department a Nobleman characterized in America for Piety; but what could prevail on his Lordship to join with such Connections, unless he had a Consciousness that his own Abilities were sufficient to defeat the plans of a corrupt Administration, I am not able to conceive. It might be well for his Lordship to be assured, that there is now a fairer prospect than ever of an Union among the Colonies, which his predecessor did & had reason to dread, tho he affected to despise it. Should the Correspondence proposed by Virginia produce a Congress; and that an ASSEMBLY OF STATES, it would require the Head of a very able Minister to treat with so respectable a Body. This perhaps is a mere fiction in the Mind of a political Enthusiast. Ministers of State are not to be disturbed with Dreams.

I must now acknowledge your agreeable Letter of the 24 of Decr. 2 I cannot wonder that you almost despair of the British Nation. Can that people be saved from Ruin, who carry their Liberties to market & sell them to the highest Bidder? But America “shall rise full plumed and glorious from her Mothers Ashes.”

>Our House of Representatives have sent a Letter to Lord Dartmouth. This must without Question be a wise measure, though I must own I was not in it. I feared it would lead the people to a false Dependence; I mean upon a Minister of State, when it ought to be placed, with Gods Assistance, upon THEMSELVES. You cannot better prepare him for the representatives of the House, than as you propose, by giving him a proper Idea of Hutchinson. I am much obliged to you for your Intention to hold up to the publick the Generosity of my esteemed friend Mr. Otis. I wish I could assure you that he is perfectly recoverd.