| Suffolk Resolves | |
|---|---|
 TheSuffolk Resolves House, 2009 | |
| Created | September 6, 1774 |
| Presented | September 9, 1774 |
| Commissioned by | SuffolkCommittee of correspondence |
| Author(s) | Joseph Warren |
| Subject | Political crisis inMassachusetts Bay |
| Purpose | Protestation of theIntolerable Acts |
TheSuffolk Resolves was a declaration made on September 9, 1774, by the leaders ofSuffolk County, Massachusetts. The declaration rejected theMassachusetts Government Act and resulted in a boycott of imported goods from Britain unless theIntolerable Acts were repealed. The Resolves were recognized by statesmanEdmund Burke as a major development in colonial animosity leading to adoption of theUnited States Declaration of Independence from theKingdom of Great Britain in 1776, and he urged British conciliation with the American colonies, to little effect. TheFirst Continental Congress endorsed the Resolves on September 17, 1774,[1] and passed the similarly themedContinental Association on October 20, 1774.
On August 26–27, 1774 theCommittees of Correspondence from Suffolk, Middlesex, Essex, and Worcester counties met atFaneuil Hall in Boston to oppose the recentMassachusetts Government Act, which haddisenfranchised citizens of Massachusetts by revoking key provisions of the provincial Charter of 1691. The convention urged allMassachusetts counties to close their courts, rather than to submit to the oppressive measure. Berkshire had already done so, and by the first week of October, seven of the nine contiguous mainland counties in Massachusetts had followed suit.
As each county in turn closed its court, it issued a set of resolves to explain its actions.[2] Although the resolves were all similar in tone and scope, the one written by patriots in Suffolk has received more attention for two reasons: it was better crafted, and it was formally endorsed by the Continental Congress. Suffolk, which contained Boston, was the only county in which courts remained nominally open, under the protection of all British troops.[3]
At the Suffolk County Convention of the Committees of Correspondence on September 6, 1774,Joseph Warren introduced the first draft of the Suffolk Resolves, which were edited and approved three days later at theDaniel Vose House inMilton, Massachusetts, which was then part of Suffolk County but is now inNorfolk County, Massachusetts. The convention that adopted them had first met at theWoodward Tavern inDedham, which is now the site of the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds. As with the other counties' resolves, the Suffolk document denounced theIntolerable Acts, or Coercive Acts, which had recently been passed by theBritish Parliament and specifically resolved the following:
Following the issuance of the Resolves,Paul Revere delivered a copy to theFirst Continental Congress inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, where it was endorsed on September 17 as a show of colonial solidarity. In response,John Adams commented in his diary: "This was one of the happiest days of my life. In Congress we had generous, noble sentiments, and manly eloquence. This day convinced me that America will support Massachusetts or perish with her."[4]
Endorsement of the Suffolk Resolves and, with it the rebellion that had enveloped Massachusetts, altered the political balance in Congress and paved the way for other radical measures, such as the Continental Association, a general nonimportation agreement adopted by the First Continental Association a month later, on October 20. Previously, nonimportation agreements had been limited to specific localities, but this one applied throughout the rebellious colonies. TheCommittees of Safety (or Correspondence), which were formed to enforce theContinental Association, established a revolutionary infrastructure, similar to that of theSons of Liberty during the early days of the resistance.
A number of counties in other colonies adopted declarations of grievances against Britain before theDeclaration of Independence, including theMecklenburg Resolves and theTryon Resolves in 1775 and at least 90 other documents favoring independence in the spring of 1776,[5] but the resolves from the Massachusetts County Conventions in August–October 1774 were the first to promote across-the-board noncompliance with British governmental authority.
A historic plaque on Adams Street in the Lower Mills area of Milton commemorates the original site of theDaniel Vose House, where the Suffolk Resolves were signed on September 4, 1774. In order to prevent its demolition, the house was moved in 1950 from Lower Mills to 1370 Canton Avenue in Milton. Now known as the Suffolk Resolves House, it was restored to its original colonial appearance and is the headquarters of the Milton Historical Society. It was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is open to public view.
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