The Committees of Correspondence: The Voice of the Patriots

The Committees of Correspondence were provisional Patriot emergency governments
established in response to British policy on the eve of the American Revolution throughout
the Thirteen Colonies. Additionally, Committees of Correspondence served as a vast
network of communication throughout the Thirteen Colonies between Patriot leaders. On
the verge of the American Revolution, Committees of Correspondence were formed in cities
and regions throughout the American colonies. The most influential Committees of
Correspondence on the eve of the American Revolution were located in the colonies of
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and
North Carolina.
In late 1773, the Boston Committee of Correspondence was charged with managing the
“tea crisis” and was the driving force of the December 16, 1773 Boston Tea Party…
These Committees of Correspondence were intercolonial standing provincial governments.
The first of these provincial governments was formed in November of 1772 in Boston. Since
the end of the French and Indian War, the city of Boston had become the hotbed of
radicalism in the American colonies, so it was no wonder the first Committee of
Correspondence was formed in Boston. In late 1773, the Boston Committee of
Correspondence was charged with managing the “tea crisis” and was the driving force of
the December 16, 1773, Boston Tea Party, which was carried out by the Sons of Liberty.
The Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty worked in conjunction
with one another; the majority, if not all, of the members of the Boston Committee of
Correspondence were also members of the furtive Sons of Liberty. The Committees of
Correspondence were established on the notion of diplomacy and served as a springboard
for action, whereas the Sons of Liberty were an underground organization which operated
in secrecy and used force, intimidation, and took physical action. The Committees of
Correspondence rallied colonial opposition against British policy and established a political
union among the Thirteen Colonies.

Review the attached document abut the Committees of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty. In your own words, what was the main difference between the two groups? What was their purpose?