November, 2010 Workshop
Marblehead Museum and Historical Society, Marblehead, Mass.

Documents for the Revolutionary Essex County - Local Communities Showing National Trends Lesson

The famous events leading up to a Declaration of War did not happen in isolation. Local communities within Massachusetts and especially in Essex County, had their own forms of protest from skirmishes with the British similar to the Concord fight to local Declarations of Independence and through to the actual fighting itself – citizens of Essex County were caught up in local expressions of what would become national reactions. An examination of some documents and artifacts connected with the “declarations” and the Revolutionary War will allow students to see the greater impact upon everyday citizens of Essex County during this period. This lesson should act to reinforce history lessons connected with colonial and early national government, which have previously been taught, as well as raise questions pertaining to the impact that national events had on the local citizenry and vice versa. After completing these lessons, students will create a letter or poster to mount a “protest” showing their knowledge of American historical events.

Documents ...from the City of Salem Archives

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• Town meeting minutes, Local Declaration of Independence - Salem, June 10 & 12, 1776 (includes article & transcript as .pdf)
• Almost fully one month before the July date, Salem joined many local communities to vote on a directive to their representatives in the Continental Congress to declare themselves independent from Great Britain. "We, the inhabitants of the town of Salem in the town meeting legally assembled, hereby advise you...shall for the safety of the United American Colonies declare them independent of the Kingdom of Britain, we will solemnly engage with their lives & fortunes to supply them in the measure..." This document includes the town warrant, as well as the call to vote.

Documents ...from the Beverly Historical Society

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• Letter from Benjamin Wood, 1778 (transcript as .pdf)
• In 1778 Benjamin Wood writes home from Springfield. He discusses army life and the price of goods and services.

Documents ...from the Andover Historical Society

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• Colonial Currency, 1700s
• This set of colonial currency was probably printed in PA by Hall and Sellers. It has characteristic leaf prints which were put on currency to discourage counterfeiting.

Documents ...from the Gloucester Archives

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• Town Meeting Warrant, 1780 - Walking Vote
• At this town meeting in Gloucester, MA, voters walked to one side of the building if they approved the new Constitution and the opposite if they wanted to decline.

Primary Source materials from Essex Gazette available from the America’s Historical Newspapers via ...from the Boston Public Library’s website

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• Excerpt from Essex Gazette, January, 1774
• Beverly’s support of the Boston tea protest is noted at the town meeting in 1774

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• Excerpt from Essex Gazette, March, 1775
• – description of British attempt to capture guns in Salem, known as Leslie’s Retreat. This dispute with the British predates and foreshadows the conflict at Lexington and Concord by 2 months

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• Excerpt from Essex Gazette, April 25, 1775
• – description of battle at Lexington & Concord with listing of dead and wounded from a local point of view

Photograph taken by R Zimmerman

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• Leslie's Retreat Plaque - North Street, Salem, MA
• This plaque mounted on th bridge over the North River describes the conflict with the British known as Leslie's Retreat (see above newspaper article as well).

Additional Teacher Resources ...from the Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia Gazette website

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• "Resolves of the Town of Marblehead" from the Virginia Gazette, January, 1774 (includes article and transcript as .pdf)
• Colonial Williamsburg maintains a searchable website for selected issues of the Virgina Gazette. Contained in a January edition is news from the sister colony of Massachusetts. The town of Marblehead has issued a resolve concerning the tea tax. For educators looking at the influence of Committees of Correspondence this article, shows the widespread reach of local groups.

Other websites of interest...

Salem Public Library - Salem Room -This room is devoted to local history resources. Located in the reference section of the Salem Public Library, it conatins a flat file which has a copy of an 1856 volume devoted to the telling of the story of Leslie's Retreat. Of special interest are the appendices which contain primary source accounts by eyewitnesses to the event.

Salem In History website - Another Teaching American History grant, this site features items from the Peabody Essex museum in Salem, MA. Pay particular attention to the teapot marked with "Stamp Act Repeal'd"

Primary Source materials from Boston Public Library, Leventhal Map Center -“A Plan of the Town and Harbor of Boston... 1775” – map of the battle of Lexington and Concord which shows troops coming from Salem, Marblehead and Lynn