哪里有压迫，哪里就有反抗。英王和英议会的暴政与经济剥削迫使热爱自由的殖民地人民团结一致走上寻求独立解放的道路。

New and rapid changes in the old colonial policy established and imposed on an essentially self-governing people for 150 years1 precipitated a series of crises and, ultimately, the American Revolution. These crises were essentially political, but the stresses and strains that led to colonial fear and hatred of British authority had economic origins.

The first crisis began with the English victory over the French in 1763. The Seven Years' War2 had been a struggle for empire, but it had also been a fight for the protection of the American colonies. And the colonials had been of only limited help in furnishing England with either troops or materials. The English were in no mood to spare the feelings of an upstart people who had committed the cardinal sin of ingratitude. To many of the English, it seemed only fair that American colonists be asked to contribute to the support of the garrisons still required ontheir frontier.3

The British proposed stationing a British force of some 10,000 men in the North American possessions, and to help meet the costs, Parliament passed two laws — the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765. The Sugar Act levied taxes on imports of non-British products of the West Indies. A more important goal was the protection of British West Indian planters from the competition of New England rum makers4. Moreover, the Sugar Act added to the enumerated articles several raw materials demanded by British manufacturers, including some important exports of the northern and Middle colonies. The Stamp Act was simply designed to raise revenue and served no ends of mercantile policy. The law required that stamps varying in cost from half a penny to several pounds be affixed to legal documents, contracts, newspapers and pamphlets, and even playing cards and dice.5

The decade of trouble that followed was characterized by alternating periods of colonial insubordination, British concession, renewed attempts to raise revenues,further colonial resistance, and, at last, punitive action taken by the British in anger at what was felt to be rank disloyalty6. Overall, colonial efforts to boycott British imports were highly effective. In fact, English merchants were so sharply affected that they demanded the repeal of the Stamp Act. Parliament promptly responded, repealing the Stamp Act and reducing the duty on foreign molasses7.Thus, the first major confrontation between America and England ended peacefully
, and Americans as consumers had found a new and powerful economic weapon ?nbsp;the boycott8.

Although Parliament had responded to economic pressure from America by repealing the Stamp Act, England obstinately maintained its right to tax the colonies. The other sugar duties remained, and the Declaratory Act of 1766 affirmed the right of Parliament to legislate in all matters concerning Americans. The Quartering Act of 1765 stipulated that the colonial assemblies provide barracks, some provisions, and part of the costs of military transport for British troops stationed with in the colonies. Moreover, because the great English landowners were persistently clamoring for relief from their heavy property taxes, duties were imposed by 1767 to raise revenues in America9.

These laws antagonized a wide cross-section of the American populace and again resistance flared.10 As a result, in 1770 all the duties except the duty on tea were repealed, and although some of the most distasteful acts remained, everyone except a few colonial hotheads felt that a peaceful settlement was possible.

Reasonable calm prevailed until 1773, when resistance flared up again over what now seems to have been an inconsequential matter. The English East India Company,in which many politically powerful people owned an interest, was experiencing financial difficulties. Parliament had granted the company a loan of public funds and had also passed the Tea Act of 1773, which allowed the company to ship tea directly to the colonies, thereby eliminating the British duty and reducing handlingcosts. This alarmed American merchants. Couldn't other companies in Great Britain be granted monopoly control of other commodities, until eventually Americans would be reduced to keeping small shops and selling at retail what their foreign masters imported for them? Wouldn't just a few pro-British agents who would handle the necessary distribution processes grow rich while staunch Americans grew poor?From wealthy merchants in Boston to shopkeepers in the hamlets came a swift and violent reaction. Tea in the port towns was sent back to England or destroyed in various ways — the most spectacular of which was the Boston Tea Party11.

The result was the bitter and punitive legislation known as the Intolerable Actspassed in 177412. In the ensuing months, political agitation reached new heightsof violence, and economic sanctions were again invoked. On October 14, 1774, theContinental Congress provided a list of grievances as protest.13 The Congress ultimately went on to demand the repeal of all the major laws imposed on the colonies after 1763. By this time, however, legislative reactions and enactments were of little importance. The crisis had become moral and political. Americans would not yield to the British until their basic freedoms were restored and the British would not make peace until the colonists relented. Finally, violence broke out with the shots of April 19, 1775, which marked a major turning point in the history of the world.14 On July 4, 1776, independence was declared. The Empire that had tilted in 1765 had now cracked.

1. 国施行的新的殖民地政策只不过是旧政策的扩展，并无实质上的不同。新法令为国会采纳并由官僚机构逐字地监督实施，因此大大改变了殖民地的自由气氛。

2. 法英七年战争（1756-1763），始于奥地利王位更替期间英法两国对殖民地的争夺，战场在北美和印度，最终导致一场世界范围的冲突。1763年2月10日，法国将北美和印度交给英国，从此法国在北美的势力不复存在。虽然英国取得胜利，但战争给英国留下了巨额公债，故英国决定将一些费用转嫁给殖民地。英王下令征收一系列新税，并对殖民地行政事务进行改革，从而征得更多的收入。

3. 法英七年战争之后，殖民疆域的扩大使边界防务问题被提出来。贸易局提出从圣劳伦斯河到佛罗里达、从尼亚加拉到密执利麦基诺建立一系列卫戍要塞的建议，估计需要一万士兵，由此产生驻军问题。

4. 英国蔗糖生产商主要担心的是从法属西印度殖民地进口便宜糖浆会使新英格兰的朗姆酒生产商占领北美大陆以及非英属岛屿的朗姆酒市场。

5. 印花税是首次课加于殖民地内部的直接税，它规定：报纸、证书、票据、文告等一切印刷品、小册子均须贴上印花税票。

6. 按照英国的规定，殖民地人仍是英国公民，保留英国法律所认可的英王臣民的权利，同时须效忠英王。

7. 殖民地抵制进口的行动迫使英国国会撤消了印花税法并降低外国糖浆（如西印度群岛糖蜜）的进口关税。

8. 拒绝交易，联合抵制，联合拒购。

9. 由于英国的土地拥有者不好对付，当时的英国财政大臣Charles Townshend 试图在北美殖民地征得税收收入。

10. 奋起反对英国法令的广大殖民地人这次是以和平请愿、聚众暴动开始，以1770年波士顿大屠杀，五人死亡告终的。

11. 为了阻止东印度公司向殖民地倾销的茶叶上岸，波士顿人组成了“茶叶党”，化装成印第安人登船，将价值9万美元的342箱茶叶抛进海湾。

12. 波士顿倾茶事件后英议会通过了《1774年不可容忍法》，规定受殖民地人指控的英国官员只能在英国受审；英国可强行进驻殖民地住宅；取消马萨诸塞的自治权，封闭ㄊ慷俑郏唤?俄亥俄以北的土地划归魁北克。

13. 《1774年不可容忍法》激起了殖民地的愤慨。大陆会议于1774年10月对其无理要求提出书面抗议。

14. 在世界近代史上，北美独立战争是第一次殖民地独立战争，又是扫除君主制的一次资产阶级革命。从1775年4月莱克星顿枪声打响开始到1781年9月英军在约克镇投降结束，历时六年半，北美殖民地上升为一个独立国家，为资本主义发展开辟了新的道路。