On this day 250 years ago a copy of the King’s speech to Parliament on November 30, 1774 arrived by ship in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The King had proclaimed

that a most daring spirit of resistance, and disobedience to the law still unhappily prevails in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, and has in divers parts of it broke forth in violences of a very criminal nature. These proceedings have been countenanced and encouraged in other of My Colonies and unwarrantable attempts have been made to obstruct the commerce of this kingdom by unlawful combinations. I have taken such measures, and given such orders, as I judged most proper and effectual for carrying into execution the laws which were passed in the last session of the late Parliaments the protection and security of the commerce of Subjects, and for the restoring and preserving order and good government, in the Province of the Massachusetts-Bay; and you may depend upon my firm and stedfast resolution to withstand every attempt to weaken or impair the supreme authority of this Legislature over all the dominions of my Crown

The word soon spread throughout the Colonies that the King fully supported the Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament, inflaming American resistance.

Sources: Norton at pp. 310-11; https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbpe.03704100/?st=text