Letters to the Inhabitants of Canada

It is largely perceived by historians[dubious – discuss] to be damage control in the province of Quebec, in order to prevent the French Canadians from joining the independence movement in the American colonies.

[4][5] A committee composed of Thomas Cushing, Richard Henry Lee, and John Dickinson was set up to draft those letters.

The text quotes a passage of Cesare Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments and multiple excerpts of Montesquieu's The Spirit of Laws.

In early 1775, Boston's Committee of Correspondence sent John Brown into Quebec to gather intelligence, gauge sentiment, and agitate for rebellion in that province.

He found mixed sentiment among English-speaking inhabitants, some of whom were concerned that the Congress' adoption of an export boycott would essentially give the lucrative fur trade to French-speakers.

[20] The letter was signed by President John Hancock, and again translated by Pierre Eugène du Simitière; 1,000 copies of it were printed by Fleury Mesplet.

[22] At the time of the letter's writing, the Congress was already aware that Governor Carleton had called the people to arm themselves to defend their new King from the invasion.

[24] In the end, the Americans gained limited support in Quebec, ultimately raising two regiments that participated in the Continental Army.

In September 1775, after the failure of the second letter to sway public opinion, the American Colonists launched an invasion of Quebec from Fort Ticonderoga and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

This invasion culminated in the Battle of Quebec at the end of December 1775, in which the city was successfully defended, and the invaders dug in for the winter.

Following the battle, Moses Hazen and Edward Antill traveled from Quebec to Philadelphia to bring the news of the American defeat.

The people were once again invited to organize local and provincial assemblies, which could choose delegates to represent the province in the Continental Congress.

[27] Hazen and Antill delivered copies of the letter to David Wooster, commanding the colonial forces occupying Montreal.

[26] The letter met with no significant response, as the populace was unhappy about being paid for supplies in paper currency, and was otherwise not enamored of the occupation by the colonial forces.

The goal of these letters, and a variety of other addresses to the Canadian people, to gain political and military support for the revolution were generally not realized.