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Primary sourceDocumentNovember 30, 1773

Letter Directing the Old South Tea Meeting to Adjourn

Thomas Hutchinson · November 30, 1773

Governor Thomas Hutchinson's order commanding the Boston tea meeting at Old South to disperse, November 30, 1773, shortly before the Boston Tea Party.

This order, issued by Hutchinson himself, shows his hard-line stance that helped provoke the Boston Tea Party.

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Photograph of a handwritten letter on aged paper behind glass, headed 'Massachusetts Bay' and 'By the Governor', addressed to Iohn Hancock and the people assembled in Boston. Text has crossed-out words and a stain.
Thomas Hutchinson, letter directing the Old South tea meeting to adjourn, November 30, 1773. Old South Meeting House, Boston.

About this source

What it is

This is a handwritten letter from Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson, headed 'Massachusetts Bay' and 'By the Governor,' addressed to John Hancock and the people assembled in Boston on November 30, 1773. It is displayed at the Old South Meeting House in Boston.

Why it matters

The letter documents Hutchinson's attempt to order the large meeting about the tea crisis to break up. His refusal to compromise with the colonists in these weeks is linked directly to the events that led to the Boston Tea Party, when colonists destroyed tea rather than let it be landed under his authority.

Look closer

  • What tone does the governor use when addressing the crowd, and what does that tell us about his authority?
  • Why do you think this letter failed to stop the events that followed?
  • What does the physical condition of the letter, with crossed-out words and a stain, tell us about how documents survive over time?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Hutchinson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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