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[Faneuil Hall Assemblies]
The Votes and Proceedings of the Freeholders and Other Inhabitants of the Town of Boston, in Town Meeting Assembled
Artifact IDTL 2026.1.11
Object Type
Temporary Loan
Date
1773
Printer
Joseph Greenleaf
(American, 1720 - 1793)
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Medium
pamphlet (unbound)
DimensionsOverall H 4 in x W 5 1/2 in x D 8 in (10.2 cm x 14 cm x 20.3 cm)
Physical DescriptionThe title page of an unbound political pamphlet. The layout has centered typography showcasing an extensive title set in varying sizes of typefaces. It utilizes a mix of small capitals, italics, and standard roman letters, separated visually by thin, horizontal rules.The main text is centered on a light cream-colored heavy rag paper.
Two Boston town meetings were held at Faneuil Hall in the weeks leading up to the Tea Party. The ships had yet to arrive in Boston harbor, but anxiety and apprehensions were growing. This is a printing of the meeting’s proceedings. Boston citizens voted to reject the East India Company's tea consignments. Widely distributed by the Committee of Correspondence, this pamphlet mobilized towns across Massachusetts to pass similar resolutions. It highlights how local, democratic town meetings functioned to organize public resistance against British imperial policy.
Two Boston town meetings were held at Faneuil Hall in the weeks leading up to the Tea Party. The ships had yet to arrive in Boston harbor, but anxiety and apprehensions were growing. This is a printing of the meeting’s proceedings. Boston citizens voted to reject the East India Company's tea consignments. Widely distributed by the Committee of Correspondence, this pamphlet mobilized towns across Massachusetts to pass similar resolutions. It highlights how local, democratic town meetings functioned to organize public resistance against British imperial policy.
Historical NoteThe East India Company was a private corporation, global in its reach, but deeply entangled with the government through its monopolies of spices, textiles, and minerals. It also was on the brink of bankruptcy, heavily indebted to the British state, and burdened by seventeen million pounds of deteriorating, unsold tea. Selling this tea would benefit Britain’s coffers. Upon news that British tea would soon set sail for the colonies, Bostonians began holding regular town meetings. In their denouncements, printed in this rare 1773 pamphlet, the problem had little to do with the tea’s quality. As Bostonians saw it, to accept the cheap tea meant accepting Britain’s taxes, which meant accepting Britain’s laws, which were formed without the consent of the colonists, and thus, if deemed valid, would invalidate the self-governance of the colonies.
Additional DetailsCredit Lineon loan courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPolitical Memorabilia (National Archives Identifier 1677287)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyUse Restriction NoteThe use of this image and document information is fully restricted. Reproduction in any manner is not allowed.On view