The writers state that on the 13th-14th of May 1776 they were summoned before the General Committee in New York to tale an oath that at the risk of their lives and property they should defend the colonies by arms against Great Britain in the present controversy. They avow that the oath was not required of everyone and that in singling them out the Committee was in effect condemning them for a suppo sed crime without giving them the benefit of a trial and without formal charges being brought against them. They refused to sign the oath or deliver up their arms under oath on the grounds that they had to protect their lives and property and that they were not guilty of any atrocious acts against any individual or the community at large. They have been confined to the city Gaol and request that their case be reviewed and that they be freed from jail.
Subjects
United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783; Jay, John, 1745-1829