On this day 250 years ago in Framingham, Massachusetts, the Town Meeting elected Josiah Stone to the Massachusetts Great and General Court (the official title of a body also referred to as the Massachusetts Assembly, or House of Representatives or Legislature) that had been scheduled to meet on October 5 in Salem. Two days before the Framingham Town Meeting, Governor Gage had issued a proclamation adjourning the Assembly meeting indefinitely. The people of Framingham must have known that they were electing Josiah Stone to an extra-legal meeting of the Assembly and they instructed him to disregard the Governor’s orders and the Intolerable Acts, specifically

that you do not act nor consent to any act that can possibly be construed into an acknowledgement of the validity of the Act of the British Parliament for altering the government of the Massachusetts Bay: More especially that you acknowledge the honourable Board of Councillors elected last May by the General Court as the only rightful and constitutional Council of this Province.

Additionally, the Framingham Town Meeting ordered the Town militia to prepare for war. The Town Meeting

Voted — That there be a chest of 25 Fire Arms purchased at the expense of the town for the town’s use; and Joseph Winch and Daniel Sanger were chosen a committee for that purpose.

Voted — to purchase two Field Pieces of such size as the selectmen and the committee shall judge proper; and James Glover and Capt. Benj. Edwards were chosen a committee to purchase the cannon. Granted for the purchases aforesaid the sum of £56.

On this same day in Philadelphia John Adams prepared and shared with others, but perhaps did not formally introduce, proposed resolutions calling for the Colonies to prepare for war:

Whereas Hostilities have been already been commenced against the Province of Massachusetts Bay and through them against all the Colonies, and whereas this congress have already advised the People of that Province by no Means to submit to the late Act of Parliament for altering their Government.

resolved that in Case Hostilities should be further pursued against that Province, and Submission be attempted to be compelled by Force of Arms, that as soon as Intelligence of this shall be communicated to the several Colonies, they ought immediately to cease all Exportations of Goods Wares and Merchandice, to Great Britain, Ireland and the West Indies.

Resolved, That, in Case any Person or Persons, Should be arrested, in the Massachusetts Bay, or any other Colony, by General Gage or any other Person, in order to be sent to Great Britain to be there tryed for any Crime whatsoever, commited in America, . . . that this ought to be considered as a Declaration of War and a Commencement of Hostilities against all the Colonies and that Reprisals ought to be made in all the Colonies, and held as Hostages for the Security of the Person or Persons so arrested and all Exportations of Merchandice, to Great Britain Ireland and the West Indies ought immediately to cease.

Adams had prepared another resolution that is crossed off in his draft Motion. He was presumably persuaded by other delegates to delete from his motion a resolution:

that it be recommended to all the Colonies, to establish by Provincial Laws, where it can be done, a regular well furnished, and disciplined Militia, and where it cannot he done by Law, by voluntary Association, and private Agreements.

John Adams and the other Delegates attending the Congress may not have been ready for the next step of preparing the militia for war, but the people of Framingham and other towns across Massachusetts and the other Colonies were already doing so.

Sources: https://thenewhistoria.org/editorial/women-and-word-in-the-world-mary-katherine-goddard/; https://founders.archives.gov/?q=%2230%20September%201774%22&s=1111311111&sa=&r=1&sr=