The years leading up to the American Revolution was a sensitive time period. America was divided in two; the loyalists and the colonists.  Thomas Hutchinson was the governor of colonial Massachusetts at the time. He was significant to the American Revolution because of the decisions he made and the actions he took in his time as governor. This well-hated loyalist was frowned upon by the colonists due to the fact that he expressed his support for strong action against disruptive forces (a.k.a the colonists) in Massachusetts.

Hutchinson was born to a wealthy ship owner and merchant in Boston on September 9, 1711. The highly intellectual man graduated from Harvard University in 1727 at the age of 16. This descendant of Anne Hutchinson first came in contact with leadership roles in 1737 when he first became involved in civil leadership of the colonies as a selectman. He served here almost continuously for twelve years. Hutchinson continued to rise in politics by serving as a member of the state council for seventeen years (1749-66), chief justice of the Superior Court for nine years (1760-69), and lieutenant governor for thirteen years (1758-71). Thomas Hutchinson was appointed governor in 1771.

Thomas Hutchinson, it seems, was always hated by the colonists for he resisted the gradual drift away from England and thought the Revolution was lead by mere hotheads, looking for issues to start conflict. His unwavering rationality and enmity towards the revolutionists inflamed many sentiments. This enmity was grown in 1765, when the loyalist’s personal residence was looted by a mob who thought that Hutchinson was a supporter of the much hated Stamp Act. After this particular incident, Hutchinson started secretly advising England to move to forcefully restrain the Colony. What he did not realize was that even the smallest tragedy would spread like wild fire across the colonies. Something like the Boston Massacre.

One of the many things that Thomas Hutchinson did to aggravate the colonists was to claim as acting Governor he held no authority over the King’s troops. This was concerning the Boston Massacre in which five colonists had been shot and killed by the English troops. Upon the incident, Hutchinson stated that anyone caught provoking an attack on English troops would face charges of high treason. Hutchinson’s response to this event clearly orchestrated where his loyalties lay and marked the start of a unanimous hatred for Hutchinson among the revolutionaries.

The second significant event which diminished the popularity of Thomas Hutchinson even more so was the fact that he supported the very unpopular Tea Tax in 1773. This tax was detested by the colonists because they felt they were being taxed without representation and wouldn’t stand losing money. Hutchinson on the other hand thought that everyone would profit from this. The mounting hatred for Thomas seemed to be ever growing. The tension between Hutchinson and the colonists seemed to be getting more and more intense as the days went by.

Finally, on the Thursday of December 16, 1773 the colonists lost their temper. The infamous Boston Tea Party took place. In this particular event, the American colonists destroyed many crates of tea belonging to the British East India Company on ships in Boston Harbor. This was a response to the Tea Tax being imposed on the colonists. After this particular incident, thousands of British soldiers were deployed to enforce the rule of law in Boston. By now Hutchinson was broadly hated. Soon after (six months later) the Boston Tea Party, Governor Hutchinson went into exile in England.

Since Thomas Hutchinson was hated so much by colonists due to his support for the British, one would think he only diminished the American Revolution. Yet this is not the case; Hutchinson contributed quite a lot towards the American Revolution. Firstly, he encouraged the British to restrain the colony which led to the Boston Massacre, then his pro-loyalist response to the Boston Massacre, when he stated the exact opposite of what the revolutionary countrymen wanted to hear, took place. This raised some questions and angered the colonists. His support for the Tea Tax, although aggravated the colonists even more, it gave them a reason to unite and protest. This later led to the Boston Tea Party which is considered by some as the match that lit up the American Revolution. If Thomas Hutchinson had not been so aggressive and inconsiderate about the actions he took, perhaps the American Revolution could have been altogether avoided.