Skip to main content
Collections Menu
Back
1 of 1
Courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
Courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
The Rights of the British Colonies
Courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection

The Rights of the British Colonies

Artifact IDTL 2026.1.34
Object Type Document
Date 1764
Author (American, 1725 - 1783)
Printer (American, active 1755 - 1775)
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Medium pamphlet
DimensionsOverall W 5 3/8 in x D 9 in (13.7 cm x 22.9 cm )
Physical DescriptionJames Otis (Boston: Edes and Gill, 1764)

Historical NoteJames Otis’s landmark 1764 treatise provided one of the earliest intellectual foundations for the American Revolution by asserting that British "Writs of Assistance" violated inherent property rights through unjustified, perpetual searches. Otis argued that supreme absolute power resides ultimately in the people, establishing the innovative 18th-century concept that governments exist to protect pre-existing rights rather than grant them. His defense of personal property and popular sovereignty served as a direct guiding principle for the foundational liberties later codified in the U.S. Constitution.


Additional Details
Credit LineCourtesy 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.
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions
Not on view