Items Similar to "Postscript to The Massachusetts Spy" May 5, 1774 with Boston Tea Party Coverage

1 vol. Hamilton, Madison, Jay, The Federalist on the New Constitution

Richard Henry Dana - Two Years Before the Mast, First Edition 1840

The History of the Discovery and Settlement of America by W. Robertson, 1835

Letter signed by the Count of Floridablanca – 1786

Antique Silk Broadside An Elegiac Poem Death of President George Washington 1800

1807 "A Map of the Country..." by Samuel Lewis, Revolutionary War Map

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 12

"Postscript to The Massachusetts Spy" May 5, 1774 with Boston Tea Party Coverage

Name: "Postscript to The Massachusetts Spy" May 5, 1774 with Boston Tea Party Coverage
Brand: Isaiah Thomas
Rating: 5 (46 reviews)

$9,500

£7,162.20

€8,337

CA$13,365.03

A$13,443.28

CHF 7,833.02

MX$163,786.63

NOK 90,084.88

SEK 92,409.02

DKK 62,313.52

About the Item

Presented here is a rare printed Postscript to The Massachusetts Spy, or Thomas’s Boston Journal, issued in Boston on May 5, 1774. Founded by Isaiah Thomas and Zechariah Fowle in 1770, The Massachusetts Spy was one of the most influential newspapers of the American Revolution, serving as a principal vehicle for the circulation of Patriot ideas and political intelligence throughout the colonies. This May 5th issue, published less than five months after the Boston Tea Party and only weeks before Parliament enacted the Intolerable Acts, offers an extraordinary record of how news from London was gathered, disseminated, and interpreted in colonial America. It presents a collection of British reports, parliamentary proceedings, royal pronouncements, and British commentary concerning the colonial unrest in Massachusetts, with significant focus on the Boston Tea Party. For readers in Massachusetts, these reports provided critical insight into how their actions were being discussed in London and what measures Parliament and the Crown were considering in response. The Postscript opens under the striking heading “Interesting Intelligence,” announcing the arrival of “The Ship Minerva, Capt. Callahan, arrived here last Sunday in 6 Weeks from London, by whom we have Papers to the 15th of March, from which we have extracted the following INTERESTING INTELLIGENCE.” At the time, colonial newspapers frequently republished articles from London newspapers and official government reports in order to inform American readers of political developments unfolding in Britain. This issue is an exceptional example of that practice, as the reports in this issue reveal mounting British determination to suppress resistance in America. One dispatch dated March 5 reports that Britain was “getting ready several Ships of War for Sea” and that “Some say it is to reduce the mutinous spirit of the Americans.” A subsequent report of March 10 declared that “the most vigorous Measures are resolved to be taken with the turbulent and refractory Colonies,” including the dispatch of “Four Regiments of Foot” to Boston and “six Men of War” to block the harbor. The article further notes the widespread rumor that Boston would lose its charter and be transformed into “a King’s Government.” In a passage dated March 11, a British author offers a more ominous response to colonial resistance: “If the spirited measures at present talked of should take place respecting the Americans, the next cargo of a certain commodity may be called gun-powder tea, and they must take it with a little smack of British spirit.” This commentary illustrates the growing inevitability of confrontation, from the viewport of Britain subjects. Other reports address the increasingly contentious question of colonial representation and governance. One article insists that Americans have “no reason to complain of want of Representation in the Senate,” arguing that members of Parliament were “more zealous for the interests of America than Great-Britian.” Yet the same report acknowledges the intensity of official concern by noting that ministerial councils had been meeting nightly, “assisted in their Deliberations by the Crown Lawyers, on American Affairs.” The gravity of the crisis is underscored by a March 12 warning that “There never was, perhaps, since the Revolution, so important a crisis in the constitution of this country as the present state of American affairs,” concluding with the dramatic declaration that “no less than the FATE OF A GREAT EMPIRE, trembles on the decision.” This issue is equally significant for its publication of King George III’s formal message to the House of Commons, concerning the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor. The king characterizes the event as “violent and outrageous” and urges Parliament to “not only enable his Majesty effectually to take such measures as may be most likely to put an immediate stop to the present disorders, but will also take into their most serious consideration what further regulations and permanent provisions may be necessary to be established, for better securing the execution of laws, and the just dependence on the Colonies upon the Crown and Parliament of Great-Britian.” By reprinting this royal statement in a Boston newspaper, the Massachusetts Spy publishers gave colonial readers direct access to the specific language and intentions of the British government, at a consequential turning point in their relationship. Further reports the third column summarize proceedings before the House of Commons and testimony concerning the Boston Tea Party itself. Included are accounts from colonial governors, discussions regarding the whereabouts of the other tea shipments sent to other American colonies, and details of Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s response to the crisis. Particularly noteworthy is the eyewitness statement attributed to “Mr. Rotch, the owner of Capt. Hall’s vessel,” who described how “a number of men, disguised, boarded the vessels containing the Tea, and, as it said, threw the whole into sea.” Beyond its specific contents, this issue is an important example of the role of newspapers in shaping revolutionary America. By collecting, reprinting, and circulating British reports, The Massachusetts Spy enabled colonial readers to monitor official attitudes in London and assess the likely consequences of resistance. The newspaper functioned as a source of local news and also as a crucial vehicle for political intelligence. Founded on July 17, 1770, by Isaiah Thomas and Zechariah Fowle, The Massachusetts Spy quickly emerged as one of the most influential newspapers of the Revolutionary era. Although it initially professed to be “open to all parties, but influenced by none,” the paper increasingly aligned itself with the Patriot cause and became closely associated with the activities of the Sons of Liberty. Governor Thomas Hutchinson even attempted to prosecute Isaiah Thomas in 1771 for his allegiance to the patriot cause. The printer ultimately fled Boston to avoid arrest, relocating his press to Worcester. His first publication in Worcester was on May 3, 1775, wherein he published his eyewitness coverage of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, often regarded as the first example of American war correspondence. Thomas became one of the foremost printers and publishers in the United States and, in 1812, founded the American Antiquarian Society. CONDITION: Near fine condition. "Postscript to The Massachusetts Spy, or Thomas’s Boston Journal." [Boston]: May 5, 1774. 4to. Scattered minor spotting and a few small holes. Light fold lines, from past storage. Small tears in margin, since stabilized. 2pp. Dimensions: 15 3/8” H x 9 ¼” W. Archivally framed in a custom-built black and gold wooden frame, with acid-free mats, and UV glass. Framed Dimensions: 24" H x 18 1/2" W x 1 1/4" D. Accompanied by our company’s letter of authenticity.

Creator:
Isaiah Thomas (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 24 in (60.96 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 1.25 in (3.18 cm)
Style:
American Colonial (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1770-1779
Date of Manufacture:
1774
Condition:
Additions or alterations made to the original: Archivally framed by Art Source International in Boulder, CO in May of 2026. Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading.
Seller Location:
Colorado Springs, CO
Reference Number:
Seller: PR5861stDibs: LU909750739192

Materials

Paper

Journal of an Exploring Tour Beyond the Rocky Mountains by Samuel Parker, 1844

By Samuel Parker

By James Fenimore Cooper

Located in York County, PA

PRINTED COTTON KERCHIEF GLORIFYING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, WITH TEXT AND REPRODUCED SIGNATURES, MADE FOR THE 1876 CENTENNIAL INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION IN PHILADELPHIA Printed on cotton, this beautiful kerchief pays homage to the Declaration of Independence, through the reproduction of its text and 56 signatures, surrounded by a fanciful border. The latter contains the 13 state seals, which are dispersed around the perimeter in small medallion images. Note how Pennsylvania is highlighted among them, larger and in the bottom center, both because it served as the meeting place of the Second Continental Congress, and played host to the 1876 Centennial International Exposition, the six-month long World’s Fair event that was held in honor of our nation’s 100-year anniversary of independence. The names of twelve Revolutionary War generals are spread out between each crest, on each forward-facing turn of a scroll, that wraps around the pillar and leaf border on the right, left, and bottom. These include Washington, Lafayette, Johann de Kalb, Nathiel Greene, Ethan Allen, Henry Knox, Israel Putnam, Daniel Morgan, William Moultrie, Francis Marion...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Materials

Cotton

"Postscript to The Massachusetts Spy" May 5, 1774 with Boston Tea Party Coverage

About the Item

More From This Seller

Antique 1780s American Federal Books

Antique 1860s Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Antique 1870s American High Victorian Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Antique 1780s English American Colonial Historical Memorabilia

Antique Early 1800s American Federal Maps

Antique 1840s American American Classical Books

You May Also Like

Antique 1790s Federal Political and Patriotic Memorabilia

Antique 19th Century American Books

Antique 1820s British Books

Antique Early 18th Century English George II Historical Memorabilia

Antique 1840s American Early Victorian Books

Antique Late 19th Century American Political and Patriotic Memorabilia