250 years ago today, Sam Adams changed the course of history

In Boston on November 2, 1772, Sam Adams, revolutionized politics with the introduction of his Committees of Correspondence system for grassroots activism.

The idea was simple: a committee of patriots would form in Boston and in each neighboring town.

• Any group of patriots could form a committee.
• Each committee would publish exhortations to townspeople describing their natural rights and how they were violated under British rule.
• Crucially, the committees would adopt and share other committees’ work, echoing similar sentiments across the region.

The idea took off. Within months, over one hundred Massachusetts towns created committees and joined the burgeoning network. Activities, ideas, and news in each town rapidly spread throughout the colony via the Committees of Correspondence, educating the public on their rights and galvanizing resistance to the British.

Soon, the committees spread to other colonies, and it wasn’t long before colony-level committees were created. Information spread from town committee to their respective colony committee, which shared it with the other colony committees, which in turn shared it to its town committees. All of colonial North America could now receive patriotic news and activity.

With the Committees of Correspondence spreading across the continent, a continental-level committee was proposed. The Continental Congress was born, and the majority of its delegates—who went on to become our Founding Fathers—were men who worked their way up from their local Committees of Correspondence.

The First Continental Congress resolved to boycott British goods and the second voted to declare independence from Britain. Along the way, the Committees of Correspondence were also the driving force behind the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride.

Despite their impact the Committees of Correspondence are largely forgotten, a victim of their own success. The greatness of the country they paved the way for and the towering stature of the Founding Fathers who gained prominence inside the committee system overshadowed the brilliantly simple system that Sam Adams created.

Exactly 250 years later, Americans can relate to Sam Adams like no other generation since the Founders. The indifferent whims of a distant aristocratic elite interfere our daily lives, and we feel disunited and powerless like no other generation between 1772 and today.

That is why the Committees of Correspondence is being revived. If the Founders could use this system to unite and educate with 18th-century technology, how much more effective can we be using modern communication tools?

It costs nothing to start a committee in your city. We recommend meeting weekly to issue common-sense statements to your area, and amplify them by sharing with other committees. Contact us to get started today.