The Hutchinson Letters Affair

The Hutchinson Letters Affair involved the interception and controversial publication of secret correspondence in 1773. Thomas Hutchinson, the British colonial governor of Massachusetts, had written letters criticizing colonial unrest. These letters were seized by colonial authorities and later published in American newspapers, fueling anger and mistrust toward British authorities. The incident heightened tensions leading up to the American Revolution and highlighted issues of privacy, censorship, and colonial resistance to British rule.