Information Operations: The Provincial Congress Shapes the Narrative in Great Britain – Journal of the American Revolution

The efforts of the American Provincial Congress at the beginning of the revolutionary war against Great Britain offer the perfect case study to understand how best to utilize information against an enemy during the conflict. After the initial skirmishes at Lexington and Concord in April of 1775, the Provincial Congress sought to influence Great Britain’s political apparatus and public opinion prior to the start of major combat operations, with the main objective of dividing the British Nation in their support for the coming war. The material used to accomplish this consisted of detailed sworn depositions from American participants in the battles, a copy of the Essex Gazette newspaper describing the events, and an official narrative of the battle, all of which painted a positive picture of events from the American perspective.[1] This action initiated one of the most successful information campaigns in the entire history of conflict.

Source: Information Operations: The Provincial Congress Shapes the Narrative in Great Britain – Journal of the American Revolution