In October 1774, the political conflict between Great Britain and Massachusetts reached a crisis. Parliament enacted the “Intolerable Acts” to punish the province for the Tea Party, and they revoked the charter of 1691 by which the popularly elected House of Representatives joined with the Council and Crown-appointed Governor to rule the Bay Colony. In the ensuing furor, county conventions protested the changes; crowds closed courts, Patriots took over county militias, and encouraged towns to resist the new regime of the General Court. Royal Governor Thomas Gage called the Court to meet in Salem, but the Assembly never convened.

Although Gage canceled the session, the representatives decided to meet behind closed and locked doors and reorganize as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. Its first session opened a week later, on October 11th, in Concord, safe from the control of British authorities. The gathering was a landmark in the history of self-government.  The Congress set the colony on a collision course with Britain and an eventual road to independence.  Even as it proclaimed loyalty to the Crown, the Congress mobilized the province in a struggle to reclaim the rights and liberties Massachusetts had enjoyed. Without declaring independence, the popularly elected body seized the reins of power, charted a new future for Massachusetts, and set a model of self-government.

October 11, 2024, marks the 250th Anniversary of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. To commemorate this occasion and honor our forebearers, the Wright Tavern Legacy Trust is sponsoring a gathering in Concord’s First Parish Meetinghouse and the Wright Tavern next door, where the delegates to the Congress met. This will be a day-long, engaging program. With noted historians to guide us, we will return to this crucial moment in the history of the American Revolution and ask what we can learn from the past. With state legislators joining us, we will examine the state of democratic governance in Massachusetts and the United States today. And, with students and teachers from Massachusetts schools, we will collaboratively explore the future of democracy.  Come join us for this remarkable day.