The Committee of Sixty was replaced by a more representative Committee of One Hundred on May 1, 1775. By May 4, the city had four companies of volunteers. On May 15, the Continental Congress order the construction of a fort at Kings Bridge, the construction of batteries in the Highlands, and the arming and training of a militia.
The Committee of One Hundred was not for independence, but was instead opposed to Britain's laws which they considered unjust. The committee wrote to Governor Cadwallader Colden in May, 1775 "that though they are arming with the greatest diligence and industry; it is not with design to oppose, but to strengthen government in the due exercise of constitutional authority". In May, all inhabitants were asked to sign a Association. Anyone who refused to sign were to be called "enemies of this country". Some of the Loyalists were tarred and feathered. The committee disarmed all loyalists within its jurisdiction. The Committee of One Hundred was officially replaced by the New York Provincial Congress which first convened on May 23, 1775, but the committee continued to meet for a while.
Thursday, May 1, 2008