Details from a Providence Town Meeting About Troops Quartered in Private Homes
7/3/1779
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The British Army’s quartering, or lodging, of troops in private homes was one reason Americans sought independence from Great Britain. During the Revolutionary War, American troops were also quartered in private homes because they had no barracks. Weary Rhode Islanders wrote this resolution to Congress demanding that barracks be built. In 1791, the Third Amendment placed restrictions on quartering.
These are the details from a town meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, regarding the issue of troops being barracked upon the population, recorded by town clerk Theodore Foster. It records that the freemen of Providence voted and resolved in their town meeting to appoint a committee to address to their delegates in Congress that accommodation for the troops should be provided at the expense of the United States.
These are the details from a town meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, regarding the issue of troops being barracked upon the population, recorded by town clerk Theodore Foster. It records that the freemen of Providence voted and resolved in their town meeting to appoint a committee to address to their delegates in Congress that accommodation for the troops should be provided at the expense of the United States.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention.
National Archives Identifier: 6922099
Full Citation: A True Copy by Theodore Foster, Town Clerk, Detailing a Town Meeting of the Freemen of Providence, Rhode Island, Regarding the Issue of Troops being Barracked upon the Population; 7/3/1779; Letters Addressed to Congress; Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774 - 1789; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record Group 360; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/providence-town-meeting-details-about-quartering-troops, May 1, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.