What did the Hutchinson letters say?

The Hutchinson Letters In these letters Hutchinson explained the revolts in the colony against taxes and recommended that colonial government should be made independent from provincial assemblies and the gradual reduction “by degrees” of English liberties.

Who wrote the Hutchinson letters?

Thomas Hutchinson
In December, 1772 Franklin anonymously received a number of letters that had been written to the British government by Thomas Hutchinson, Governor of Massachusetts.

What was the colonial response to Hutchinson and his letters?

The response of the British government to the publication of the letters served to turn Benjamin Franklin, one of the principal figures in the affair, into a committed Patriot.

What was Ben Franklin charged with?

On January 29, 1774, Lord Alexander Wedderburn verbally attacked Benjamin Franklin, accusing him of deliberately leaking letters in order to provoke colonial riots against the Crown.

Who told colonists to not drink tea?

In 1767, Charles Townshend (1725-67), Britain’s new chancellor of the Exchequer (an office that placed him in charge of collecting the government’s revenue), proposed a law known as the Townshend Revenue Act. This act placed duties on a number of goods imported into the colonies, including tea, glass, paper and paint.

Did Benjamin Franklin encourage the Boston Tea Party?

Benjamin Franklin insisted the British East India Company be reimbursed for the lost tea and even offered to pay for it himself. No one was hurt, and aside from the destruction of the tea and a padlock, no property was damaged or looted during the Boston Tea Party.

Did Thomas Hutchinson support the Stamp Act?

Hutchinson During The Revolutionary War His position made him a natural supporter of royal (and parliamentary) authority, although he opposed the Stamp Act.

Why did the colonists destroy the tea?

American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists.

Why did colonists hate the Tea Act?

Many colonists opposed the Act, not so much because it rescued the East India Company, but more because it seemed to validate the Townshend Tax on tea. These interests combined forces, citing the taxes and the Company’s monopoly status as reasons to oppose the Act.

How much was the tax that started the Revolutionary War?

The First Income Tax The income tax was officially born, imposed at a rate of 3% on all citizens who earned more than $800 a year. But as it turned out, this wasn’t enough to fund the war. Congress had to breathe new life into excise taxes a year later.

What was the significance of the Hutchinson Letters?

The Hutchinson Letters Affair was an incident that increased tensions between the colonists of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and the British government prior to the American Revolution .

Who was the Speaker of the House during the Hutchinson affair?

Franklin authorized the letters to be shown to members of the Committee but not copied or published. Massachusetts Speaker Thomas Cushing wrote a letter to Franklin asking if he could ease the restriction of its circulation.

Why did Franklin send the Hutchinson Letters to Thomas Cushing?

He felt that wider knowledge of the letters would then focus colonial anger away from Parliament and towards those who had written the misleading letters. Franklin sent the letters to Thomas Cushing, the speaker of the Massachusetts assembly, in December 1772. He insisted to Cushing that they not be published or widely circulated.

Who was the Governor of Massachusetts during the Hutchinson affair?

The letters were correspondence of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Lieutenant Governor Andrew Oliver with English authorities.