Town Meeting in Brooklyn, New-York

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Brooklyn, Kings County, Nassau Island, May 20, 1775.

At a general Town Meeting, regularly warned, the Magistrates and Freeholders met, and voted Jeremiah Remsen, Esq˙, into the Chair, and Leffert Lefferts, Esq˙, Clerk.

Taking into our serious consideration the expediency and propriety of concurring with the freeholders and freemen of the City and County of New-York, and the other Counties, Townships, and Precincts, within this Province, for holding, continuing, and maintaining a Provincial Congress of Deputies, chosen out of the whole Province, to advise, consider, consult, watch over, protect, and defend, at this very alarming crisis, all our civil and religious rights, liberties, and privileges, according to their collective prudence:

After duly weighing and considering the unjust plunder and inhuman carnage committed on the property and persons of our brethren in the Massachusetts, who, with the other New-England Colonies, are now deemed, by the Mother Country, to be in a state of actual rebellion, by which declaration England hath put it beyond their own power to treat with New-England, or to propose or receive any terms of reconciliation, until those Colonies will submit as, or shall become a conquered Country; the first effort to effect which was by military and naval force; the next attempt is to bring a famine (a dreadful engine of war) amongst them, by depriving them of both their natural and acquired right of fishing — natural by their situation, acquired by their joint exertions to acquire the sovereignty of those fisheries: Further, contemplating the very unhappy situation to which the powers at home, by oppressive measures, have driven all the other Protestant Provinces, (in which we are included,) we have all evils in their power

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1st. Resolved, That Henry Williams and Jeremiah Remsen, Esquires, be now elected, chosen, and deputed by us, and in our behalf, Deputies for this Township, to meet and associate with all the Deputies of the Cities, Counties, Townships, and Precincts, within this Province of New-York, in a Provincial Convention, intended to be holden in the City of New-York on Monday next, the twenty-second day of this present instant,May, and so to continue to meet from time to time, and at all times, according to the adjournments of the said Provincial Convention, and then and there to consider, consult, agree, determine, act, and do all prudential and necessary business accordingly.

2d. Resolved, That we, confiding in the wisdom and equity of said Convention, collectively, do consent, agree, and conclude to observe, abide by and fulfil, all necessary and warrantable acts, associations, orders, and directions, as the said Provincial Congress shall, in their prudence, require, direct, and enjoin.

Signed by order of the Town Meeting:

LEFFERT LEFFERTS, Clerk.