In retaliation for Boston’s defiant Tea Party protest the year before, Parliament passed the Boston Port Act in March 1774, declaring the harbor would be closed on June 1 unless the East India Company was compensated for its lost tea. The law was enforced by the Royal Navy and Army, cutting off Boston’s lifeline and sending shockwaves through the colonies.
In response, Virginia’s elected leaders—meeting without the governor’s approval—called for a Day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer to be held on June 1. The House of Burgesses issued a bold proclamation warning that the military occupation of Boston threatened the civil rights of all Americans and could lead to civil war.
“To give us one heart and one mind firmly to oppose… every injury to American rights.”
— House of Burgesses, May 24, 1774
The Reverend Mr. Price and Reverend Mr. Gwatkin were appointed to lead the day’s religious observances at the public church in Williamsburg. But the royal government would not tolerate the act of solidarity: Governor Lord Dunmore dissolved the House of Burgesses in retaliation—an event that pushed Virginia closer to revolution.
In Alexandria and other towns across the colony, citizens watched closely. The seeds of independence were taking root.