The long debate that had occurred over taxes explained the fundamental constitutional questions that were at stake and raised many political issues. The solution would have required Parliament to abandon its claims to sovereign power in America and this was almost unthinkable given its search for authority. There were two violent incidents showed how difficult it would be to achieve any peaceful constitutional compromise. In Boston during 1770 the British troops fired on an unruly mob, killing five people. This episode became known as the Boston Massacre. Two years later, a Rhode Island mob destroyed a British customs ship known as the Gaspee, wounding its captain in the process. In both of these cases, the British ministry declined to take any action. Their hope was that time and patience would resolve the crisis. Many members of Parliament wanted a more aggressive approach saying that American violence should be met with...
[ View Full Essay]