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University Microfilms International 300 North Zeob Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 USA St. John's Road, Tyler's Grean High Wycombe, Bucks, England HP10 8HR I I 77 -32,004 WEBB, Paul Lafayette, II, 1935- A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TH.E COMMON CAUSE: THE RESPONSE OF NEW YORK AND VIRGINIA TO THE COBR IVB ACTS. The Ohio State Universit Ph.D., 1977 History, United States University Microfilms Internationa f Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 © Copyright by Paul Lafayette Weli>b, II 1977 A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE COMMON CAUSE: THE RESPONSE OF ' NEW YORK AND VIRGINIA TO . THE COERCIVE ACTS DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Paul Lafayette Webb, II, B.A., M.A., M.Div. * 4t * * H The Ohio State University 1977 Reading Committee: Approved by Bradley Chapi n, Ph.D. Paul C. Bower s, Ph.D. Joseph H. Lynch, Ph.D. Adv er Department f Histdry ACKNOWLEDGMENTS le assistance accorded while working on this project has be4n extensive. A word of thanks is due the staffs of the several libraries and societies for the use of their holdings which are cited in this paper. Appreciation is also offered to Dr. Michelle P. Figliomeni who permitted the personal use of her unpublished manuscript and the staff of the McFarlin Library of the University of Tulsa who granted special privileges in their microfilm col lection. I especially remain in debt to the interlibrary loan staff of the Muskogee, Oklahoma Public Library. Without their help it would have been virtually impossible to complete the study. Deserving of special recognition are those indiv iduals who, for different reasons, contributed personal inspiration. The confidence placed in me by Professor Bradley Chapin is very much valued. He patiently endured my many questions while freely offering his guidance. The encouragement received from friends and colleagues helped, to keep me focused on my objective while fulfilling other responsibilities. A special word of gratitude is due my wife and two daughters for their patient under standing. 4 VITA October 20, 1935 .... Born - Huntington, West Virginia 1958 ................... B.A., University of Redlands, Redlands, California 1961 ................... M.Div., Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Phila delphia, Pennsylvania 1961-1963 ............. Minister of Youth and Music, First Baptist Church, Wellington, Kansas 1964-1966 ............. Minister of Music and Christian Education, Trinity Baptist Church, Marion, Ohio 1968 ................... M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1968-1969 ....... Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1969-1970 ....... Academic Adviser, University College, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1970- Assistant Professor Social Sciences, Bacone College, Muskogee, Oklahoma FIELDS OP STUDY Major Field: The American Revolution and Early National The American Colonies. Professor Paul C. Bowers The Emergence of Modern America, 1865-1900. Professor Francis P. Weisenburger Tudor and Stuart England. Professor Clayton Roberts iii TABLE OP CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............. ..................... 11 VITA ....................... ....................... ill Chapter I. INTRODUCTION............... 1 II. THE HISTORICAL SETTING, 1976-1774 14 New York ................................. 14 Virginia ......... 19 William Smith, Jr., Richard Bland and the Constitutional Conflict .......... 23 The Coercive Acts and the Issues of 1774 .................................. 27 III. THE RESPONSE OP NEW YORK IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER OP 1774 37 New York City ........................... 37 The Counties ............................ 56 IV. THE RESPONSE OP VIRGINIA IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 1 7 7 4 . ..................... 77 The House of Burgesses .................. 77 The Counties .................. 95 The August Convention ............. 124 V. THE RESPONSE OP THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS................ 1 ................ 152 The Problems of Becoming Acquainted..... 158 The Voting Procedure........... 165 The Debates over the Constitutional Relationship ................ 168 The Debates over Nonintercourse ......... 181 The Continental Association ............. 199 The Conclusion .......................... 207 BIBLIOGRAPHY 224 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION * The positions taken by the First Continental Congress in response to the Coercive Acts and other imperial issues which developed after 1763 were determined at the local level. This study not only affirms the truth of this statement but answers some significant questions in the light of a recent interpretation which has maintained the existence of a common consensus among colonists in response to the issues.'1 How were the positions determined at the local level? What were they? What was the rationale for determining them? What was their impact on choosing and instructing delegates to the Congress? For a comparative study of local responses in 1774, New York and Virginia were chosen because of the extreme contrast between their two basic positions. Hew York, divided as to what response to take as a colony, reluc tantly submitted to nonintercourse in Congress. In con trast, Virginia adopted its own economic boycott and a plan for enforcement which became a basis for the Con tinental Association. 2 As is imperative in any study, it is necessary to define the use of significant words and terms. In Vir ginia and New York, local responses to the Coercive Acts came from -towns and other rural localities as well as from the county level. Except where indicated, the word ”local" is used comprehensively to include counties as well as individual communities. In the colony of New York extra— legal leadership fell to the New York City Committee of Fifty-One. This committee, while handling local urban affairs, also provided central leadership for rural action which included towns, precincts, districts and counties. Virginia provided a different situation. The House of Burgesses initiated central leadership and thus extra— legal activity followed the usual pattern for regular political procedure. This meant the regular constituencies of the Burgesses, sixty-five in all, were the main local levels of extra-legal action. Sixty-one of these constituencies were counties, four were towns and one the College of William and Mary. A few spon taneous responses from local communities, prior to the Burgesses initiating leadership, are also available. "Issue" is often used as synonymous with grievance, although grievances, such as the Boston Port Act, inten sified constitutional issues which had been present since 1764. "Response" is often used as synonymous with position, but is more apt to be used in reference to the individual resolves at the local level while "position" usually denotes the decisions made at the pro vincial or intercolonial level. The responses or posi tions taken were in reply to the stated issues. The terms radical, liberal, moderate and conserva tive are an integral part of this study. Since New York and Virginia represent two separate societies, it is un sound to permit general definitions of the terms to be applied to groups in either colony without qualification. The term radical has generally been used to refer to the Sons of Liberty and their allies. In this study liberal or liberal Whig will designate this group while the term radical will serve for those who took a consti tutional position which distinctly rejected any form of parliamentary involvement in colonial government and trade. There is no evidence that the radical position as defined here