Thomas Hutchinson: Ahead of His Time?

Thomas Hutchinson, the royal governor of Massachusetts from 1771 until 1774, was a man driven by loyalty to King George III, as well as by his duties as governor and his various other public offices. In each office that he held, Mr. Hutchinson usually tried to take a middle-of-the-road approach to situations which would allow him to properly execute his official duties, while still allowing him to hear the grievances of the common folk. Despite his best efforts, Massachusetts, and especially Boston, was not governable.

In October 1776, Hutchinson wrote a letter to a certain "Noble Lord" - though sadly the exact person is unknown - in which he brought to the recipient's attention the issue of the Declaration of Independence and his own critique thereof. At the end of his letter, Mr Hutchinson makes an interesting comment, which has overtones that could be true today. He says "Discerning men have concealed their sentiments, because under the present free government in America, no man may, by writing or speaking, contradict any part of this Declaration, without being deemed an enemy to his country, and exposed to the rage and fury of the populace."

At the time of Hutchinson's letter, this charge was quite true, as nearly any person who voiced pro-monarchy sentiments was, at the very least, likely to be arrested or fined. At worst, it was possible that a loyal subject of the Crown would be put to death. Although today's American society has moved beyond putting people to death for having a differing political view, there have been periods in recent political history when one party has had such a dominant grasp that members of the opposing view have felt that a wiser course of action would be to say nothing, rather than to use their freedom of speech and to be intimidated by the overwhelming opposition. This is, in essence, Hutchinson's point.