2.The Road to the Revolution

All the above measures deeply affected the American colonies in the following aspects：their agriculture，industries，commerce，and investment opportunities；their habits，practices，and desires respecting self-government；their freedom of elections，press，and speech.The first large scale of opposition in the colonies was aroused by the Stamp Act of 1765，for American colonists thought that the Stamp Act deprived them not only of money but of their liberties.Two forms of protest then emerged.The most immediate was a violent one.In the summer of 1765secret organizations known as the Sons of Liberty were formed in seaports and provincial towns.They pressured stamp agents to resign their posts，burned stamped paper，and stimulated mob violence.Another response was legal.Nine colonies sent representatives to New York City to discuss the Stamp Act.They attacked the Act and thought that it was a violation of their right.At last the Stamp Act Congress drew up a declaration of rights and adopted a petition to the king and Parliament declaring that the English Parliament had no jurisdiction over colonial affairs，and Americans could be taxed only by bodies that represented them directly.With serious argument and strong protests，the English Parliament repealed the Stamp Act in 1766.

To add to the tension，the Revenue Act of 1767，also called Townshend Act，imposed duties on paint，glass，lead，paper，and tea.Actually these items were all luxuries，and few could afford to buy them.The colonists，however，still rejecting the idea that the Parliament in Britain had the right to tax them without consent，reacted to these new duties by refusing to import any of the taxed goods.This boycott was fairly successful in bringing financial hardship to British merchants in England.Once more adopting an expedient course，the Parliament canceled the duties in 1770，except for a three-penny tax on each pound of tea.

On the evening of March 5，1770，a clash between American colonists and British soldiers took place in Boston.A group of unemployed laborers attacked a British sentry stationed at the Boston customhouse.When the British soldiers dispatched to help the sentry arrived，they met a rapidly growing，angry crowd.At some point，someone gave the command for the soldiers to fire.Three colonists were killed and several were wounded，two of whom later died.News of this“Boston Massacre”，as it was described，spread into other colonies，awakening both resentment and anxiety.

The Tea Act of 1767was supplemented by another Tea Act in 1773，which further worsened the relation between Britain and American colonies.The aim of this act was to help the British East India Company out of its financial embarrassment.It relieved the company of the necessity of paying duties on its tea exported to America.In effect it amounted to giving the company a monopoly of tea business in America.By this way the company would be able to sell tea at lower prices.Not without reason did the colonists think that if the Tea Act was allowed to go into effect，Britain would set up monopolies for the control of other American foreign and domestic trade，and that would also mean that American colonists agreed to be taxed by the British government.So the colonists decided to act.On the evening of Dec.16，1773，in Boston，agroup of angry colonists，known as the Boston Tea Party，dressed themselves up as Indians and boarded the three company ships ripped open 342chests of tea valued at￡17，000，and dumped all the tea into the harbor.

The British Parliament responded speedily to the Boston Tea Party.It imposed four extremely severe acts on Boston to force the city to pay for tea.These acts closed the port of Boston，suspended civil government and replaced it with martial law，forced the persons accused of capital crimes to be sent to England for trial，and finally ordered a large number of new troops to Boston.

Now the people in the 13colonies began to think more about the unified resistance to the British measures.In Sep.1774，representatives from all the colonies except Georgia held a joint meeting in Philadelphia to decide on united action against the Britsh.This was the First Continental Congress.At the meeting the majority of representatives still thought they could settle their quarrel with the British by peaceful means.They agreed to refuse to buy British goods，hoping in this way to force the British Government to give in to their demands.They also agreed to raise a volunteer army to protect the colonies if Britain used force to break the boycott.