Historical Research Library
Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.
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Phillis Wheatley’s Poem on Tyranny and Slavery, 1772
An eloquent condemnation of oppression and slavery, written for the British secretary of state for the colonies, showcasing Wheatley’s literary talent, and advocacy for freedom
Key Document
Report on the Boston Tea Party, 1773
Newspaper account of the dumping of tea into the Boston Harbor
Supporting Document
Samuel Cooper’s Eyewitness Account of the Boston Tea Party, 1773
A teenager’s account of what happened at the Boston Tea Party
Supporting Document
John Adams to Catharine Macaulay on the Tea Act, 1773
A letter written days before the Boston Tea Party predicting a rift with Britain
Supporting Document
John Andrews’s Eyewitness Account of the Boston Tea Party, 1773
Well-worn letter recounting the Boston Tea Party to a Philadelphia merchant
Supporting Document
Patrick Henry on the Evils of Slavery, 1773
A slaveholder on his hypocrisy and admiration for antislavery advocates
Supporting Document
Phillis Wheatley to the Reverend Samson Occom on Slavery, 1774
A letter from Wheatley, recently emancipated herself, supporting Occom’s views on slavery
Supporting Document
The Suffolk Resolves, 1774
Colonial response to the Intolerable Acts, asserting rights and promoting resistance to British oppression
Supporting Document
“Nothing But Shame and Deep Disgrace”: A Hymn, 1774
A popular hymn on Christ’s suffering by a Mohegan clergyman
Supporting Document
"Bostonian’s Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and Feathering," 1774
A London broadside criticizing political violence in Boston
Supporting Document
Mercy Otis Warren on American Resistance, 1774
Letter commending American resistance to British abuses but expressing concern over potential violence
Supporting Document
An Address to the People of Great Britain, 1774
A colonial plea to people in Great Britain for support and empathy in the face of growing tensions
Supporting Document