Part of the political movement that became the American Revolution, the resolutions were addressed to Virginia's delegation at the First Continental Congress, and expressed support for Congress' resistance to the Intolerable Acts, issued in 1774 by the British Parliament.
Still, the Fincastle Resolutions were the first adopted statement by the colonists which promised resistance to the death to the British crown to preserve political liberties.
[citation needed] Throughout 1774, the Fincastle signatories had been fighting in Dunmore's War against the Shawnee to the west, and could not formally express their sentiments about the constitutional dispute until January 1775.
[1] The published text of the resolutions began by proclaiming love for and loyalty to King George III, and that "we are willing to risk our lives in the service of his Majesty, for the support of the Protestant Religion, and the rights and liberties of his subjects..." However, the resolutions go on to express dismay that the passage of the Intolerable Acts has threatened the happy relations between "the parent state and the Colonies", and that these violations of constitutional rights are not acceptable.
Historian Jim Glanville writes: "The actions of the Fincastle committee should not (as they almost always have been) viewed in isolation.