Committees of Correspondence

Definition

The Committees of Correspondence were an interconnected network of local political committees formed in the Thirteen Colonies in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. These committees facilitated communication and coordinated resistance against the British government's policies, playing a crucial role in the events that led to the outbreak of the war.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Committees of Correspondence were established in the 1760s and 1770s to facilitate communication and coordinate resistance among the colonies against British policies.
2. These committees played a crucial role in the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War, including the Destruction of the Tea and the Coercive Acts.
3. The Committees of Correspondence were instrumental in convening the First Continental Congress in 1774, which brought together delegates from the Thirteen Colonies to formulate a unified response to the Intolerable Acts.
4. The Committees of Correspondence helped to foster a sense of American identity and unity among the colonies, laying the foundation for the eventual declaration of independence.
5. The British government's attempts to crack down on the Committees of Correspondence, such as through the Coercive Acts, further fueled colonial disaffection and resistance.

Review Questions

• Explain the role of the Committees of Correspondence in the events leading up to the American Revolutionary War, particularly in relation to the Destruction of the Tea and the Coercive Acts.
  • The Committees of Correspondence were instrumental in coordinating colonial resistance against British policies in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. They facilitated communication and organized protests, such as the Destruction of the Tea, which prompted the British government to pass the Coercive Acts. These punitive laws further fueled colonial disaffection and led to the convening of the First Continental Congress, where the colonies began to unite and coordinate their response to British rule.
• Describe how the Committees of Correspondence contributed to the development of American identity and unity prior to the Revolutionary War.
  • The Committees of Correspondence played a crucial role in fostering a sense of shared identity and purpose among the Thirteen Colonies. By facilitating communication and coordinating resistance against British policies, these local committees helped to transcend colonial differences and cultivate a broader American identity. The Committees were instrumental in convening the First Continental Congress, where delegates from across the colonies came together to formulate a unified response to the Intolerable Acts, further solidifying the colonies' sense of collective identity and shared interests.
• Analyze how the British government's attempts to suppress the Committees of Correspondence, through measures like the Coercive Acts, impacted the path to the American Revolutionary War.
  • The British government's crackdown on the Committees of Correspondence, exemplified by the Coercive Acts, backfired and further fueled colonial disaffection and resistance. By closing the port of Boston and restricting self-governance in Massachusetts, the Coercive Acts galvanized the colonies to unite in defense of their rights and liberties. The convening of the First Continental Congress, which was facilitated by the Committees of Correspondence, marked a significant step towards the colonies' collective assertion of their independence and the eventual outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The British government's heavy-handed response to the Committees of Correspondence thus played a pivotal role in pushing the colonies towards open conflict.

Related terms

Nonimportation Agreements: Voluntary agreements made by the colonies to boycott the import of British goods in protest of new taxes and duties imposed by the British government.

Intolerable Acts: A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party, which closed the port of Boston and restricted self-government in Massachusetts.

First Continental Congress: The first meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies in 1774, which coordinated a unified colonial response to the Intolerable Acts and laid the groundwork for the American Revolution.