Orangetown Resolutions are adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament’s Coercive Acts.

The Orangetown Resolutions, adopted on July 4, 1774, were a set of declarations made by residents of Orangetown in Rockland County, New York, as a response to the British Parliament’s Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts). These acts, especially the Boston Port Act, were viewed as direct assaults on colonial liberties following the Boston Tea Party. The resolutions, though moderate in tone compared to later revolutionary documents, clearly rejected Parliament’s right to tax the colonies without representation. The authors expressed loyalty to King George III but condemned the oppressive legislation, emphasizing their right to be governed by laws passed with their own consent.

What’s significant about the Orangetown Resolutions is how they reflect the growing colonial unity and political awareness just months before the First Continental Congress. The document called for a non-importation agreement and encouraged Americans to support Massachusetts in its conflict with Britain, laying groundwork for broader cooperation among the colonies. While not explicitly revolutionary, the resolutions mark a shift from protest to organized resistance. They exemplify the kind of grassroots political action that became increasingly common in the run-up to the American Revolution.