- Suffolk Resolves
The Suffolk Resolves was a declaration made in September 1774 by the leaders of
Suffolk County, Massachusetts , of which Boston is the major city. The convention that adopted them first met at the Woodward Tavern in Dedham, which is today the site of the Norfolk County Courthouse. The Resolves were recognized by statesmanEdmund Burke as a major development in colonial animosity leading to adoption of theUnited States Declaration of Independence fromGreat Britain in 1776, and he urged British conciliation with the American colonies, to little effect.History
The Resolves were originally written by
Joseph Warren . The Resolves were passed inStoughton, Massachusetts , in a location which is nowMilton, Massachusetts in currentNorfolk County, Massachusetts . Made in response to the state of passiverebellion declared in theMassachusetts colony by Great Britain, the Resolves denounced theIntolerable Acts , or Coercive Acts, that had recently been passed by theBritish Parliament , and specifically resolved to:
# boycott British imports, curtail exports, and refuse to use British products;
# ignore the punitive measures taken against Massachusetts since theBoston Tea Party ;
# support a colonial government in Massachusetts free of royal authority until the Intolerable Acts were repealed;
# urge the colonies to raisemilitia of their own.In one of his less famous rides,
Paul Revere delivered a copy of the Resolves to theFirst Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where it was adopted onSeptember 17 as a show of colonial solidarity. To ensure the Resolves were observed, an association was organized with a committee in each colony, similar to theSons of Liberty . A number of counties in other colonies adopted similar declarations of grievances against Britain during the period before theDeclaration of Independence , including theMecklenburg Resolves and theTryon Resolves .Commemoration
A historic plaque on Adams Street in the Lower Mills area of Milton commemorates the original site of the [http://www.miltonhistoricalsociety.org/postcard1.html Daniel Vose House] , where the Suffolk Resolves were signed on September 4, 1774. In order to prevent demolition of it, the house was moved in 1950 from Lower Mills to 1370 Canton Avenue in Milton. The house was restored to its original colonial appearance and is now the headquarters of the Milton Historical Society. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and is open to public view. See the external link for more information.
External links
* [http://www.miltonhistoricalsociety.org/ Milton Historical Society homepage]
* [http://www.townofmilton.org/Public_Documents/0000FCFC-80000001/00014B7D-80000001/aboutus.htm Website of the Milton Historical Commission]
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