President John Hancock, of the Provincial Congress of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, issues the call to communities to establish Committees of Public Safety:

       WHEREAS the Preservation of our Country from Slavery, depends under God, on an effectual Execution of the Continental and Provincial Measures for that Purpose:

       RESOLVED, That there be now appointed for each County in this Colony, a Committee consisting of Five Persons, any Three of whom to be a Quorum, whose Business it shall be, to receive from the Committees of Correspondence in their respective Counties. …

       [added 7/2/2021] Thanks to Freedom’s Phoenix for this entry.