Committees of Correspondence

More to Explore

People and Groups

Themes

Events

Related Topics

This Day in History

Jun 19

American Revolution

Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor, 1885

On this day in 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor as a symbol of Franco-American friendship. Nine years late, the 300-foot statue was…

Recommended Articles

  • John Jay

    (1745-1829), member of the Continental Congress, diplomat, and first chief justice, U.S. Supreme Court.

  • Benjamin Franklin

    Benjamin Franklin

    One of the most renowned figures in American history, Benjamin Franklin was a statesman, publisher, author, scientist, inventor and diplomat.

  • American Revolution

    American Revolution

    During the American Revolution, Great Britain's 13 American colonies rose up in insurrection and won their independence.

  • The 13 Colonies

    The 13 Colonies

    In 1776, the Declaration of Independence announced that the 13 English colonies in North America were a sovereign nation: the United States of America.

Committees of Correspondence were the American colonies' first institution for maintaining communication with one another. They were organized in the decade before the Revolution, when the deteriorating relationship with Great Britain made it increasingly important for the colonies to share ideas and information. In 1764, Boston formed the earliest Committee of Correspondence, writing to other colonies to encourage united opposition to Britain's recent stiffening of customs enforcement and prohibition of American paper money. The following year New York formed a similar committee to keep the other colonies notified of its actions in resisting the Stamp Act. This correspondence led to the holding of the Stamp Act Congress in New York City. Nine of the colonies sent representatives, but no permanent intercolonial structure was established. In 1772, a new Boston Committee of Correspondence was organized, this time to communicate with all the towns in the province, as well as with "the World," about the recent announcement that Massachusetts's governor and judges would hereafter be paid by--and hence accountable to--the Crown rather than the colonial legislature. More than half of the province's 260 towns formed committees and replied to Boston's communications.

In March 1773, the Virginia House of Burgesses proposed that each colonial legislature appoint a standing committee for intercolonial correspondence. Within a year, nearly all had joined the network, and more committees were formed at the town and county levels. The exchanges that followed helped build a sense of solidarity, as common grievances were discussed and common responses agreed upon. When the First Continental Congress was held in September 1774, it represented the logical evolution of the intercolonial communication that had begun with the Committees of Correspondence.

The Reader's Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Advertisement

Shop HISTORY

See More

Classroom Study Guides

  • Thomas Jefferson Teacher's Guide (PDF)

    Jefferson is an insightful 2-hour presentation on HISTORY which examines his many identities and asks viewers to answer for themselves: who was the real Thomas Jefferson, and what is his most lasting legacy in our world today?