250th Anniversary of the First Massachusetts Provincial Congress

On October 7, 1774, ninety chosen representatives met at Salem in defiance of General Gage’s order. They elected John Hancock to serve as chairman. They resolved to form themselves into “a Provincial Congress...to take into consideration the dangerous and alarming situation of public affairs in this province, and to consult and determine on such measures as they shall judge will tend to promote the true interest of his majesty, and the peace, welfare, and prosperity of the province.” The establishment of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress was essentially a coup détat: a sudden, violent, and unlawful seizure of power. The royal government, headed by General Gage, was now isolated and virtually powerless except for the presence of the army and navy in Boston.

• Welcome and Introduction: Jonathan Lane, Executive Director of Revolution 250 Massachusetts

• Brief lecture on the significance of Oct 7, 1774: Alexander Cain, author of We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of the American Revolution

• Presentation of the Citations: Presentations of the federal, state, and local citations commemorating the bravery of those who met at Salem in defiance of the lawful government.

• Keynote Address: Robert A. Gross, author of The Minutemen and their World.

The event will conclude with a brief Q& A followed by reception with light refreshments, and a cash bar. In attendance will also be American Revolutionary War reenactors from the Danvers Alarm List Company and the Lexington Minute Men.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES

Alexander Cain

Alexander graduated from Merrimack College in 1993 with a degree in economics and New England School of Law in 1996 with a juris doctorate in law. He is a well respected and highly sought-after speaker who frequently lectures on the military and social influences of April 19, 1775. Alex has worked with both major and local production companies as a consultant and advisor to ensure historical accuracy is properly maintained during the production process. He has published multiple research articles that have shed new light on the Battles of Lexington Concord, privateer operations during the Siege of Boston and the loyalist refugee experience during the American Revolution. Alex has also published two books - We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of theAmerican Revolution and I See Nothing but the Horrors of a Civil War.

Robert A. Gross

A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Robert A. Gross received the B.A. in American civilization from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and the M.A. (1968) and Ph.D. (1976) in history from Columbia University. He taught at Amherst College (1976-88), the University of Sussex (1981-83) and the College of William and Mary (1988-2003) before coming to UConn. He is the recipient of various national awards, including fellowships from the Guggenheim, Howard, and Rockefeller Foundations, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Antiquarian Society. Prof. Gross specializes in the social and cultural history of the U.S., from the colonial era through the nineteenth century. His first book on the American Revolution, The Minutemen and Their World (1976), won the Bancroft Prize in American History; it was re-issued in a 25th anniversary edition in 2001 and will be published by Picador in a new, revised edition in 2022 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. He has continued studies of the Revolutionary era in such works as In Debt to Shays: The Bicentennial of an Agrarian Rebellion (1993). For two decades he has been deeply involved in the interdisciplinary field known as the history of the book, serving on the editorial board for the multi-volume History of the Book in America published by the University of North Carolina Press and co-editing with Mary Kelley the second volume of the series, An Extensive Republic: Print, Culture, and Society in the New Nation, 1790-1840 (2010). His other recent work examines New England writers — notably, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson — in historical context. From that project has come The Transcendentalists and Their World, which Farrar, Straus, & Giroux published in November 2021.

Jonathan Lane

Jonathan is an experienced historian with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Revolution 250 Massachusetts. Revolution 250 is a independent 501c3 and the leader of a consortium of not-for-profit, for-profit, corporate partners, and individuals. Revolution 250 is exploring the history of the American Revolution and the ways that this story still resonates in society today. Culminating in 2026, 250 years since the American colonies declared independence from the British Empire, Rev250 is pulling together residents, visitors, planners, educators, artists, students, the business community, and politicians to recognize the importance of our culture and values. Jonathan’s background includes being a strong media and communication professional with a ALB, cum laude focused in Social Sciences \ History Concentration from Harvard University.

Event presented by Essex Heritage in partnership with the Hawthorne Hotel

This program is part of Essex County Revolution 250. Essex County Revolution 250 is an initiative of Essex Heritage in partnership with Massachusetts Rev250 and dozens of regional museums, heritage sites, and organizations, with the intention of raising awareness and highlighting the diverse stories of Essex County, Massachusetts residents, free and unfree, during the American Revolutionary period.

For more information

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Hawthorne Hotel, 18 Washington Square West, Salem, United States