THE PAPERS OF FRANCIS BERNARD by Sir Francis Bernard, Colin Nicolson (Editor) ( 9780979466212 )

Item Details

Title:

THE PAPERS OF FRANCIS BERNARD
GOVERNOR OF COLONIAL MASSACHUSETTS, 1760-1769

By:

Sir Francis Bernard, Colin Nicolson (Editor)

Format:

Hardback

List price:	£42.95
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ISBN 10:

0979466210

ISBN 13:

9780979466212

Publisher:

COLONIAL SOCIETY OF MASSACHUSETTS

Pub. date:

27 February, 2008

Pages:

570

Description:

Sir Francis Bernard (1712-1779) was the royal governor of colonial Massachusetts from 1760 to 1769. His letters and other incidental papers provide insight into the personalities and bitter controversies agitating Boston in the pre-Revolutionary period. This book includes his letters.

Synopsis:

Sir Francis Bernard (1712-1779), royal governor of colonial Massachusetts from 1760 to 1769, witnessed the rapid dissipation of happy sentiment stemming from Anglo-American victory in the French and Indian War and the first stirrings of colonial radicalism. The writs of assistance case, the Stamp Act riots, and the ensuing boycotts of British manufactures all happened on his watch. Bernard himself proved to be a controversial figure. His most vociferous opponents accused him of aggressively pursuing customs violations to augment his own income. Others believed that he had deliberately misrepresented political conditions in Boston in order to persuade authorities in England to dispatch troops to support his troubled administration.At the end of his governorship, the Massachusetts House of Representatives petitioned for his recall, even as the king awarded him a baronetcy for his loyal service. Once home in England, Bernard slipped easily into the role of an expert on colonial affairs and helped devise imperial policies that would exacerbate the growing crisis.Bernard's letters and other incidental papers provide abundant insight into the personalities and bitter controversies agitating Boston in the pre-Revolutionary period.Often consulted by scholars in transcripts and on microfilm, they constitute one of the most important sources on the period, yet this edition is the first comprehensive selection of his letters to be published. The explanation for this neglect can only be that, as far as American readers are concerned, he was on the wrong side of the conflict. Read side-by-side with the papers of John and Samuel Adams, Bernard's letters allow us to understand fully events in Massachusetts leading up to the Revolution.This is the first of three volumes of selected letters, to be followed upon completion by a calendar of documents covering his life and career.

Illustrations:

17 b&w illustrations

Publication:

Imprint:

Colonial Society of Massachusetts

Returns:

Returnable

Some other items by this author:

"INFAMAS GOVENER" (HB)

A CATALOGUE OF THE LIBRARY OF THE LATE L (PB)

A TRAVELLER'S HISTORY OF GREECE (PB)

IMAGINARY FRIENDSHIP IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION