TownMeeting

Massachusetts, May, 1774.

Ready to present resolutions: Bananas Town Meeting Resolution: Boycott the British Awesomes Resolution: Rally Against King George III Washington Rowe Resolution: Second French War Pink Pegasus Resolution: Boycott the British Suffolk Resolves

Incomplete resolutions: dawesresolution Pats SRSNS Resolution Peyton Randolph Resolution

The British Parliament has just passed the “Massachusetts Government Act.”

This act has four key provisions:

(1) It outlaws town meetings (unless approved in advance by the Crown-appointed Governor).

(2) It allows the King to appoint the 36 members of the Council, without any approval by the people. The Council functions as the upper house of the legislature, the Governor’s cabinet, and the administrative arm of provincial government.

(3) It permits the Governor to appoint all sheriffs, judges, and officials of the courts without the approval of the people.

(4) It states that Crown-appointed officials will select all jurors.

Read about the Intolerable Acts here.

Here is a timeline.

At the Town Meeting, your group will become a Committee of Correspondence. You must decide how to respond to the Massachusetts Government Act. You must agree on a course of action that you are recommending for your town. You will bring this recommendation as representatives at the Continental Congress that will be happening in September 1774.

__ Things to consider: __ *The people of Worcester, Springfield, Plymouth, and every other town in Massachusetts have been holding town meetings ever since the towns were founded. *All members of each community are used to worshipping together. The “meeting house” where this meeting takes place is also the church. *According to the Charter of 1691 that has been governing the colony until now, Council members are to be chosen by the people’s elected representative, jurors are to be chosen in town meetings, and sheriffs and judges must be approved by the elected Council. *The people of Massachusetts consider themselves to be British citizens. *All citizens are familiar with John Locke’s “social contract” theory of government, which states that governments are formed by the people for their own protection. *When the British passed the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts, colonists boycotted British goods. Those acts were later repealed. *The County Court will be convening in your town in three weeks. This is the first court session with judges appointed according to the new act. *Many people in your town have recently been sued in court. If the new judges who decide on these cases turn out to be corrupt, there is no way to remove them from office. *Two of the new council members are from your county. *The new Governor of Massachusetts is Thomas Gage, who also serves as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army of North America. *There are 3,000 British soldiers stationed in Boston. *95% of the population lives outside of Boston, in small towns such as yours.

__** What course of action will your town take, if any? **__ Possible options include:
 * A boycott of British goods
 * Demonstrations
 * A petition to the King and/or Parliament
 * Destruction of British property similar to the Boston Tea Party
 * Circular letters (Committees of Correspondence) sent between colonists listing ideas of what to do
 * Send representatives to the Continental Congress to meet with representatives from other colonies.

In preparation for the town meeting, write a that suggests a response to the Massachusetts Government Act.