No More Learning

" By what legal authority, it was asked, has
the convention assembled? " We know not where such
precedents may terminate; setting up a power to controul
you, is setting up anarchy above order--IT 1s THE BEGIN-
NING OF REPUBLICANISM. " *
1 This transaction does not appear in the familiar extract of the pro-
ceedings, but it is sufficiently well authenticated; 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, p.
607 n. ; "Censor" in Pa. Eve. Post, Men. 5, 1776; Thomson's narrative,
Stille, op. tit. , p. 346.
*4 Am. Arch. , voL i, pp. 557, 606.
1 The writer, who signed himself "A Freeman," also denounced the
rule of voting in the convention, by which the vote of a frontier
county was equal to that of "this opulent and populous city and
county. " Ibid. . voL i, pp. 607-608 n.
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? CONTEST IN COMMERCIAL PROVINCES
355
On the next day, the House resolved, in words very
similar to the vote of the convention, that a congress was
"an absolute necessity. " They did not follow the cue
given them by the convention as to the personnel of the
delegates, and selected seven members out of their own
body, including Galloway himself. A day later, instruc-
tions were voted to " the Committee of Assembly appointed
to attend the General Congress. " These instructions, com-
posed by Galloway, were drawn with a frank disregard of
the elaborate directions submitted by the convention. In
brief form, they stated that the trust reposed in the dele-
gates was of such a nature and the modes of performance
might be so diversified in the course of the deliberations of
Congress that detailed instructions were impossible; that
the delegates should strive their utmost to adopt measures
for redress and the establishment of union and harmony
with Great Britain while avoiding "every thing indecent
or disrespectful to the mother state. " *
(Had the personnel of the delegates been different, the
radicals would have been well pleased with this blanket
delegation of authorit^ But under the circumstances, Gal-
loway expected to control the action of the delegates; and
his own judgment called for the sending of commissioners to
England to adjust differences and for the scrupulous absten-
tion from measures of non-intercourse. 2 Governor Penn
could well assure the Earl of Dartmouth that "the steps
taken by the Assembly are rather a check than an encour-
agement to the proceedings of the Committee [conven-
tion]. "8 The radicals improved their situation somewhat
by securing the addition of Dickinson to the delegates by
1 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 606-609; also Pa. Gas. , July 27, 1774.
1 Letter to William Franklin; / N. J. Arch. , vol. x, pp. 475-477.
14 Am. Arch. , voL i, p. 661.
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? 356 THE COLONIAL MERCHANTS: 1763. 1776
the roundabout process of electing him to the House on
October 15, and he took his seat in Congress after it had
been in session six weeks. From a broader point of view,
the victory lay with the radicals; for, although the House
had professed to act of their own independent will through-
out, there had been, in a real sense of the term, a " setting
up [of] a power to controul" them, a "setting up [of]
anarchy above order. " Galloway himself had decided, as a
lesser of evils, to take part in a great continental assem-
blage elected in most irregular and informal ways. 1
\The trend of sentiment in New Jersey was dominated, it
would appear, by the course of the two great trading towns
that controlled her commercial destinies. ^] On May 21 and
23 the Philadelphia and New York committees had in-
formed the Boston Committee of Correspondence of their
unwillingness for positive action until the meeting of a
general congress; and news of their position became known
at once in New Jersey. On the last day of the month, the
committee of correspondence of the New Jersey Assembly
transmitted to the Boston committee their endorsement of
a congress, as proposed by the neighboring provinces, to
draw up "a Non-Importation and perhaps a Non-Exporta-
1 The resolution of the House appointing Galloway and his co'leagues
described the congress as composed of committees or delegates ap-
pointed by provincial "Houses of Representatives, or by Convention,
or by the Provincial or Colony Committees. " Galloway jus if ed his
conduct upon the ground that the assemblies had not been permuted to
meet in some provinces. Pa. Mag. , vol. xxvi, p. 309.
1 This was hinted at in the first set of resolutions issued by a public
body in New Jersey--a meeting of the inhabitants of Lower Freehold
township in Monmouth County. 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, p. 390; also N. Y.
Journ. , June 7, 1774. The radicalism which characterized the rural
population in most provinces was in New Jersey subdued by the pres-
ence of large numbers of Quakers, particularly in the western portion.
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? CONTEST IN COMMERCIAL PROVINCES
357
tion Agreement. " 1 This was the signal for a series of
county meetings throughout the province, which adopted
resolutions expressing the same view. 2 They also ap-
pointed committees of correspondence, who were instructed
to meet with the other committees in a provincial convention
for the purpose of choosing delegates to the general con-
gress. This convention of committees gathered at New
Brunswick on July 21, and seventy-two delegates took part
in the three days' deliberations. Their resolutions denied
the right of Parliament to impose revenue taxes and de-
nounced the coercive acts recently passed. A continental
congress was endorsed as the best means of uniting oppo-
sition; and a general non-importation and non-consumption
agreement was recommended as the best course for the
congress to adopt. Delegates were appointed to the con-
gress; but an effort to procure an instruction that the East
India Company should not be reimbursed met with failure. 8
The action of the Delaware counties was, on the whole,
less restrained ihiffl that taken at Philadelphia. Published
appeals for arousing public resentment raked over the
embers of past disputes with Parliament in a bitterly par-
tisan way. 4 The first mass meeting, held in Newcastle
1 Bos. Com. Cor. Mss. , vol. viii, pp. 709-710.
1 From June 8 to July 20, it is recorded that eleven of the thirteen
counties acted; in chronological order: Essex, Bergen, Morris, Somer-
set, Hunterdon, Salem, Middlesex, Sussex, Gloucester, Monmouth and
Burlington. 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, 403-404, 450, 524-525, 553-554, 594, 610-
613; Pa. Journ. , July 20, 1774. These meetings endorsed a suspension
of trade contingent upon the approval of the congress, most of them
preferring non-importation and non-consumption alone. Salem County
showed some individuality in introducing the act of Parliament aga:nst
slitting and plating mills as a grievance and denouncing it as "an
absolute infringement of the natural rights of the subject. "
1Pa. Gas. , July 27, 1774; also 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 624-625. Vide
also Adams, J. , Works (Adams), vol. ii, p. 356.
4 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 410-420, 658-661.
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? 358 THE COLONIAL MERCHANTS: 1763. 1776
County on June 29, recommended a continental congress
as the proper agency for securing redress, and appointed a
committee to correspond with the other counties and prov-
inces with reference to the matter. One resolve requested
the speaker of the House of Assembly to convene the mem-
bers of that body not later than August 1, in order to ap-
point delegates to the congress, no request being made of
the governor because of his refusal in the case of the Phila-
delphia petition. 1 A few weeks later county meetings in
Kent and Sussex took similar action. 2 The convention as-
sembled at Newcastle on August 1. Its resolutions ar-
raigned the British Parliament for restricting manufactures
in the colonies, for taking away the property of the colonists
without their consent, for introducing the arbitrary powers
of the excise into the customs in America, for making all
revenue causes tryable without a jury and under a single
dependent judge, and for passing the coercive acts. Dele-
gates were chosen to the approaching congress. 8
14 Am. Arch. , vol. i, p. 664; also Pa. Gas. July 6, 1774.
1 Ibid. , Aug. 3, 1774; also 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 664-666.
1 Ibid. , vol. i, pp. 666-667.
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? CHAPTER IX
CONTEST OF MERCHANTS AND RADICALS FOR DOMINANCE
IN THE PLANTATION PROVINCES (MAY-
OCTOBER, 1774)
IT is apparent that a revolution of sentiment had oc-
curred among the merchants of the northern seaports.
Those who had promoted movements oi protest against
earlier acts oi Parliament now sought to stop or restrain
the present popular uprising Ry thijt rpvprgf1l rtf front
they occupied the same position of obstruction 011774
that the mercnants and factors ol the plantat1on pro^
vinces had maintained on all occas1ons smcg the begin-
mng ot the commot1ons ten years betore. For this
reason, the course of the plantation provinces in response
to the circular letter of the Boston town meeting of
May 13, 1774, does not show the marked contrast to the
events in the commercial provinces that had characterized
the earlier occasions.
The nature of the contest in 1774 struck closer home
to the Southern planters than the earlier quarrels over
trade reforms, for the issue was more clearly one of per-
sonal liberty and constitutional right, and in the school
of dialectic the plantation provinces acknowledged no
superiors. The long-standing indebtedness of the
planters to the British merchant,,*, was a source of irrita-
tion that undoubtedly jn^11^fd. r^dir^] action, in the
tobacco provinces and in North Carolina in particular.
The demand for a suspension of debt collections played
359
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? 360 THE COLONIAL MERCHANTS: 1763-1776
a part in the popular movement in these provinces, and,
at a later time, in South Carolina as well. On the pre-
sent occasion, the_merchants of Charleston^nd Savannah
were able to coni1n3. I1cl s1vnnort fr^n1 tile, rural d1stricts
'pg due to peculiar local conditions; but
in Virginia anH Nnrt^ QmlinP "-*""? " *h" mfrc,hants
were forff>H tn stanH alnnp, . tha. . planters adopted the
most radical measures of cnm. mcrf. Bl opposition that
were to be found anywhere in, Brij^fy APWiCjiL Mary-
land was only less extreme in the measures adopted.
The movement to take action in response to the Bos-
ton circular letter received its initial impulse in Mary-
land at a meeting of the inhabitants of Annapolis on
May 25, 1774.
The resolutions were an advance be-
yond anything that had been adopted elsewhere up to
this time. The meeting declared that all provinces
should unite in effectual measures t_o_obtain the repeal of
the Boston Port Act and that the inhabitants of Annapolis
would join_ in an oath-bound association, in conjunction
with theth^jVIaryJiai1jir"'1"t1*"7 ? "^ thr> nth0r
provinces for a. n immediate no1i=im. por. t;1t1. '1n w1th
Britain and a sus^cjLdj;d. JQJL^ejUP. gJ! ^atiQIL. The inhabit-
ants would immediately _boycott any province that re-
fused to enter similar resolut1ons with a majority of the
provinces. The meeting further resolved thatj1o lawyer
should bring suit for the recovery of any debt due from
a Marvlander to anv inhabitant _QJ Great Britain until
the Pnrt^Act should t? e repealed. A committee of cor-
respondence was appointed, with instructions to join
with similar committees to be appointed elsewhere in
the province to form one grand committee. 1 The dec-
1 Md. Ga? . , May 26, 1774; also 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 352-353.
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? CONTEST IN PLANTATION PROVINCES 361
laration about the payment of debts at once aroused pro-
test in the city; and two days later a second meeting
was held to re-consider the question, and the resolution
was carried again, forty-seven to thirty-one. 1 Daniel
Dulany, Jr. , was one of those opposed to the resolution
but later he admitted: "I would have agreed to it if it
had extended to merchants in this country as well as
foreign merchants. ""
All the subsequent meetings in Maryland were county
assemblages, thus reducing the opportunities for mer-
cantile influence. Within three weeks eight of the six-
teen counties were recorded as following the example
of the town of Annapolis. 8 Six of these meetings fav-
ored a non-exportation and non-importation, simultane-
ous or successive; Caroline preferred a modified non-im-
portation only; and Kent was silent on the subject. A
suspension of debt collections, foreign and domestic, was
advocated by four counties, in case of complete non-
intercourse. 4 Six counties declared that all provinces
failing to adopt the general plan should be boycotted.
All the meetings organized committees of correspon-
dence and appointed delegates to the forthcoming pro-
vince convention.
The convention of committees assembled at Annajpjjs
on Wednesday, June 22, for a four days' sitting, with
ninety-two members representing every county in the
1 Md. Gas. , June 2, 1774; also 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, p. 353.
1Ibid. , vol. i. pp. 354-355. A formal protest against the resolution,
signed by one hundred sixty-three names, mostly of stay-at-home
citizens, appeared a few days later. Ibid. , pp. 353-354.
*In chronological order: Queen Anne's, Baltimore, Kent, Anne
Arundel, Harford, lower part of Frederick, Charles, Caroline, Fred-
erick. Ibid. , vol. i. pp. 366-367. 379. 384-386, 402-403, 409, 425-426,
433-434: also Md. Gas. , June 9, 16, 30, 1774.
4 Anne Arundel, Caroline, Frederick, Harford.
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? 362 THE COLONIAL MERCHANTS: 1763-1776
province. It was agreed that everv cquntv should c$st
one vote. The resolutions denounced the punitive acts
of Parliament and declared the willingness of the pro-
vince t9 J9Jn in a retaliatorv association, in company
with the principal provinces of the continent, to -fi^O-P
all, or almost all, commercial intercourse with the
mother country, at a date to be fixed by the general
congress. This latter resolve occasioned long debates
on Friday, lasting from ten in the morning until nine at
night. The division, it would appear, was on the ques-
tion whether the non-intercourse should be absolute, as
proposed by the preliminary county meetings, or quali-
fied. The moderates forced a compromise by which it
was agreed that the non-exportation of tobacco should
not take place without a similar restraint in force in
Virginia and North Carolina, and that articles should be
excepted from the non-importation in case a majority of
the provinces should so decide. Further resolutions
declared that rnemliaiits_nui&t_not raise prices, on pain
of boycott; and that the province would sever all rela-
tions with any province or town which declined the plan
recommended by the congress. 1 Apparently there was
little thought of adopting an association which should go
into effect independently of Congress; the resolutions
were in the nature of instructions to the delegates to
Congress, who were forthwith chosen.
The ^Virginia House of Burgesses was in session when
news was received at Williamsburg of the passage of the
Boston Port Act. ^jfharH Henrv l^eer one of the mem-
bers, urged that an immediate declaration be made in
behalf of Boston, but was dissuaded by some "worthy
1 Md. Gas. t June 30, 1774; also 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 439-440.
Vide a letter from Annapolis in Pa. Journ. , June 29.
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? CONTEST IN PLANTATION PROVINCES 363
members" who desired first to dispose of necessary
provincial business. 1 "Whatever resolves or measures
are intended for the preservation of our rights and lib-
erties," wrote George Mason, who was a spectator of
these events, "will be reserved for the conclusion of the
session. Matters of that sort here are conducted and
prepared with a great deal of privacy, and by very few
members; of whom Patrick Henry is the principal. "
Finally, on Tuesday, May 24, the House resolved that
the first of June, the day on which the harbor of Boston
was to be closed, should be set aside as a "day of fast-
ing, humiliation and prayer. " Governor Dunmore, sus-
pecting rightly that the fast was 1ntended to prepare the
minds of the people to receive other and more inflam-
matory resolutions, ^'fgfllv^ tllA Wn^g^ two days later.
Not to be foiled, eighty-nine
in the Long Room of the Raleigh
Tavern on Friday morning, with Peyton Randolph as
chairman, and adopted an association in which they
declared war on the East India Company
ing the disu se of dutied tea and of all East India com-
modities. save saltpetre and spices^ It was further recom-
mended to the legislative committee of correspondence
to invite the various provinces to meeJjn annual congress
for the sake of deliberating on measures of common con-
cern. In point of time, this was the first pronounce-
ment by a meeting representing a whole province in
favor of an interprovincial congress; but, as we have
seen, the proposal had already been made by many town
gatherings in various other provinces.
1This account is based chiefly on: ? / Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 350-352,
387-388, 445-446; Washington, Writings (Ford), vol. ii, pp. 412-415,
n. 2; letter of a burgess in Rind's Va. Gas. , Sept. 22, 1774; Rowland,
George Mason, vol. i, pp. 168-171.
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? 364 THE COLONIAL MERCHANTS: 1763-1776
These measures, which Richard Henry Lee denomin-
ated as "much too feeble," were entered into indepen-
dently of any knowledge of what had been done else-
where. When the Boston circular letter arrived, with
other letters from the north, on Sunday, May 29, most
of the ex-burgesses had departed for their homes; but
Peyton Randolph succeeded in collecting twenty five of
them for a meeting on Monday morning. Most of those
present believed it absolutely necessary to enlarge the
association to include a general non-importation, but
they were badly divided as to the expediency of stopping
exportation. Furthermore, they felt that, in any case,
their number was too small to permit them to alter the
association. Therefore they addressed a circular letter
to the absent gentlemen, explaining the situation, ask-
ing them to collect the sense of their constituents, and
to assemble in Williamsburg on August 1 to take final
action.
This referendum to the people, occupying a space of
two months, showed conclusively that thp temper nf thf
rural constituencies was far more radjcal. than the action
o| their jqafesentatuteS-at the Williamsburg meeting in-
dicated. . The chief source of opposition to the popular
measures was disclosed by James Madison, when he
wrote that "the Europeans, especially the Scotch, and
some interested merchants among the natives, discounte-
nance such proceedings as far as they dare; alledging
the injustice aud perfidy of refusing to pay our debts to
our generous creditors at home. This consideration
induces some honest, moderate folks to prefer a partial
prohibition, extending only to the importation, of
goods. "' It was reported in London newspapers that
1 Madison, Writings (Hunt), vol. i, p. 26.
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? CONTEST IN PLANTATION PROVINCES 365
when a meeting of merchants at Norfolk, the chief trad-
ing centre, had the Boston circular letter under consid-
eration, a wag present observed that "the request put
him in mind of the old fable of the fox that had lost his
tail and who would have persuaded his brethren to cut
off theirs. " He believed that "as amputation is a dan-
gerous operation . . . it will be better to take time to
consider of it. " The meeting accordingly adjourned
without action. 1
The first county meeting was held at Dumfries in
Prince William County on June 6. One resolution de-
clared boldly: "that as our late Representatives have
not fallen upon means sufficiently efficacious to secure
to us the enjoyment of our civil rights and liberties, it
is the undoubted privilege of each respective county (as
the fountain of power from whence their delegation
arises) to take such proper and salutary measures as will
essentially conduce to a repeal" of the coercive acts. "
This resolve marked the tempo with which all the count-
ies acted. In the period up to the time of the provincial
convention on August 1, thirty-one, perhaps more,
counties gave expression to their sentiments as to a
proper mode of opposition to the mother country. 3
1 Mass. Gas. & Post-Boy, Sept. 12, 1774. Vide also Pa. Gas. , Aug.
24. This no doubt expressed the views of the merchants; but the in-
habitants of the borough in general were ready to adopt measures of
protest. 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, pp. 370-372.
"Rind's Va. Gas. , June g, 1774; also 4 Am. Arch. , vol. i, p. 388.
Vide also the Stafford resolutions, ibid. , p. 617.
1In chronological order: Prince William, Frederick, Dunmore,
Westmoreland, Spotsylvania, Richmond, Prince George's, James
City, Norfolk, Culpepper, Essex, Fauquier, Nansemond, New Kent,
Chesterfield, Caroline, Gloucester, Henrico, Middlesex, Dinwiddie,
Surry, York, Fairfax. Hanover, Stafford, Isle of Wight, Elizabeth
City, Albemarle, Accomack, Princess Anne. Buckingham. Ibid. ,
vol. i, pp. 388-644 passim. The resolutions of Isle of Wight County
appeared in Rind's Va. Gas. , July 28, 1774.
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