Primary sourceBook1764, 1767, 1828

The History of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts-Bay

Thomas Hutchinson · 1764, 1767, 1828

Thomas Hutchinson's three-volume history of Massachusetts, his major scholarly work, including his own account of the revolutionary crisis.

This is Hutchinson's own major historical work, written using family and colonial records, and later volumes recount his own governorship.

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Front cover of a dark brown leather-bound book with a thin gold-tooled border line inset around the edges. The spine is visible on the left side. No title or text is visible on the cover. — Thomas Hutchinson, The History of the Colony and Province of Massachusetts-Bay, 1764 (vol. 1). Library of Congress.

About this source

What it is

This is a three-volume written history of the Massachusetts colony and province, composed by Thomas Hutchinson and published beginning in 1764. A posthumous third volume appeared in 1828. Copies are held by the Library of Congress and the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Why it matters

Hutchinson gathered many original documents and family papers to write this history, making it an important early source for colonial Massachusetts. Because he also lived through and governed during the revolutionary crisis, his later volume gives a rare first-hand perspective from someone who opposed the patriot movement, unlike most surviving accounts from that era.

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Why might a historian who was also a political figure see events differently from other writers?
What kinds of sources did Hutchinson say he used, and what problems did he have getting access to them?
How might his position as governor have shaped what he chose to include or leave out?

This book 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.